EDITORIAL: When parliamentarians earn their salary
It’s rare that politicians earn public praise - and rarer still when they deserve it. But last Wednesday, Namibia’s lawmakers pulled an all-nighter, debating the national budget until 5 a.m. And for once, it felt like the people’s house was truly at work for the people.
This is what happens when youthful energy meets a balanced legislature. The current parliament, devoid of a single-party supermajority, has given rise to a new political culture - one of grit, accountability, and, perhaps most importantly, competition.
Gone are the days when Swapo could unilaterally call time on proceedings, knowing that no opposition bench could mount a meaningful resistance. Today’s arithmetic in the National Assembly demands presence, engagement, and debate. Even chronic truants now risk tipping the scales on crucial votes - a reality that has jolted some into action.
We are also witnessing something rare and refreshing: lawmakers treating the national budget not as a box to be ticked but as a document to be dissected. Line by line, policy by policy, Namibian MPs are beginning to ask the hard questions - and expecting real answers.
The motivations may vary. For some, it is sincere public service. For others, it may be the sobering reality that in this new political terrain, apathy carries a cost. Frankly, the Namibian people don’t care. What matters is that parliament is finally starting to look like a chamber of consequence, not a theatre of privilege.
Democracy cannot survive if its most sacred institutions are reduced to rubber stamps or retirement homes.
Let this moment not be an anomaly. Let it set a precedent. The people are watching - and for the first time in a long time, some are even impressed.
This is what happens when youthful energy meets a balanced legislature. The current parliament, devoid of a single-party supermajority, has given rise to a new political culture - one of grit, accountability, and, perhaps most importantly, competition.
Gone are the days when Swapo could unilaterally call time on proceedings, knowing that no opposition bench could mount a meaningful resistance. Today’s arithmetic in the National Assembly demands presence, engagement, and debate. Even chronic truants now risk tipping the scales on crucial votes - a reality that has jolted some into action.
We are also witnessing something rare and refreshing: lawmakers treating the national budget not as a box to be ticked but as a document to be dissected. Line by line, policy by policy, Namibian MPs are beginning to ask the hard questions - and expecting real answers.
The motivations may vary. For some, it is sincere public service. For others, it may be the sobering reality that in this new political terrain, apathy carries a cost. Frankly, the Namibian people don’t care. What matters is that parliament is finally starting to look like a chamber of consequence, not a theatre of privilege.
Democracy cannot survive if its most sacred institutions are reduced to rubber stamps or retirement homes.
Let this moment not be an anomaly. Let it set a precedent. The people are watching - and for the first time in a long time, some are even impressed.
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Namibian Sun
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