Parliament urged to emulate peers

Members of parliament were last week urged to emulate other countries which have made massive inroads with regards to moving their parliamentary sessions online.

World Bank country representative for Namibia, Marie Francoise Marie-Nelly, made the comments at the launch of Namibia’s e-parliament strategy this week.

“I propose and put on the table that we think of some twinning arrangement. I understand that the parliament of Botswana has moved quite well in this area. I see that a number of sessions are taking place remotely,” Marie-Nelly said.

She also pointed lawmakers in the direction of the European Union, saying there were good examples that could be followed.

Parliamentarian Emma Muteka noted that the world was transitioning, elevating the need for the use of electronic mechanisms. She made the comments in a speech read on behalf of the chairperson of the National Council, Lukas Muha.

Change inevitable

“This stage of changing from conventional systems of doing parliamentary business to the digital world is inevitable. The implementation of information communication technology [ICT] in parliament is not just about introducing a few electronic mechanisms and using email, it is also about changes in procedures and culture,” she said.

The adoption of the use of electronic mechanisms was no longer a question, but an imperative, Muteka noted.

“The official launch of this e-parliament strategy is an indicator that is appealing to us that the parliament of Namibia has passed the question whether the use of modern ICT systems at parliament is needed or not. A pending question for us to answer is in what way and what impact the e-parliament will have on parliamentary activities.”

The adoption of an electronic system would have positive spin-offs, she added.

“The impact of the e-parliament system on the political sphere is tremendous - not only in the way the institution operates, but also in the way citizens participate in the law-making process.”