Geingob chides MPs

President Hage Geingob has reminded parliamentarians to introduce laws that will improve and protect the lives of Namibians, while emphasising the disturbing incidence of rape in the country.

Opening the ninth session of parliament yesterday, Geingob emphasised that there was a need to replace the unjust laws of former regimes with just laws.

Geingob also rapped parliamentarians over the knuckles for their tardiness and absenteeism, saying he hoped Namibians wouldn’t have to witness a lack of quorums again this year.

He also reminded them that as the representatives of the people, they should always be mindful of the fact that the most valuable asset they possess is their reputations and once these are damaged their effectiveness is questioned.

“All parliamentarians should behave according to a strict code of conduct and their attitude and work should be aimed at reflecting the will of the electorate and not their individual will.

“I am aware that legislators encounter situations every day that place them at the crux of ethical dilemmas and it is due to this reason that members of parliament should possess irrefutable professionalism,” Geingob said.

Parliament plans to table 14 bills, including the divorce, child justice, combatting of rape amendment and electronic transactions bills, during this year’s session.

According to Geingob the amendments to the Combating of Rape Bill seek to make the Act much more victim-centred by placing additional duties on the prosecutor when dealing with bail applications and giving guidelines for service providers who deal with rape complainants.

“We have witnessed many disturbing instances in our society where individuals arrested for committing rape are released on bail, only to reoffend and cause more physical and mental trauma in our communities.

“As the supreme lawmaker, parliament should introduce laws to help us combat social ills that are hampering socio-economic progress in our country,” he said.

Geingob also reminded MPs that their attendance and punctuality should be their source of pride, rather than embarrassing themselves through tardiness and absenteeism.

“The tabling of these bills during this session demands absolute commitment and a high work ethic from legislators, in order to ensure that parliament maintains a high success rate in passing these bills.

“As a result, I expect lively, informative and serious debates, as you discuss these bills. I call on all parliamentarians once more to be punctual and endeavour to attend all sessions of parliament,” he urged.

Geingob, who had declared 2019 ‘The year of accountability’, reminded MPs that it would be a defining year.

“I look forward to a year where our parliament will display integrity in representing the electorate, promote accountability through providing oversight and display undoubted professionalism in the crafting of legislation,” he said.

He added they would have to hold hands and pull together to consolidate and build on the government’s hard-earned gains or risk losing the decades of progress made since independence.

“I encourage our parliamentary committees to carry on from where they left off in 2018, undertaking visits to the regions, investigating government projects and conducting public hearings on pertinent issues such as gender-based violence and teenage pregnancies.”

JEMIMA BEUKES