National Council rejects PPP Bill
The Public-Private-Partnership Bill has been referred back to the National Assembly.
The Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) Bill of 2016 was rejected by the National Council yesterday.
Many members of parliament in the National Council preferred a PPP policy instead of an Act of Parliament.
Based on the recommendations of a select committee of the National Council tasked to review the impact of the bill, MPs felt that the bill was not inclusive of all communities and raised questions of affordability for low-income earners who would be affected.
The committee unanimously agreed that the National Council should object to the principle of the PPP Bill, following public hearings that took place in the Kavango East, Oshana, Otjozondjupa, Erongo, Hardap, //Karas and Khomas regions from 23 January to 6 February 2017.
The committee said the report was a true reflection of what was said at the public hearings, thus the recommendation to reject the principle of the bill emanated from the concerns raised during the hearings.
They said regional councils, local authorities, tertiary education institutions, trade unions, the business community and the public, who made submissions before the committee during the public hearings on the bill, were not consulted by the Ministry of Finance when the bill was drafted.
Hardap Regional Councillor Nico Mugenga raised several questions during the review of the report on the formulation of the bill, questioning if there was a similar piece of legislature in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) that Namibia could draw lessons from.
He said looking at Namibia's economic situation; the country was not in a position to enact a law on PPP.
“Every law that will come out should have a clear-cut component of decentralisation to address the issue of governance at local and regional level,” Mungenga said.
Hardap Regional Councillor Simon Dukeleni said the bill could have been a good law if it had empowered small and medium enterprises.
The bill also overlooked the constitution by establishing a PPP unit in the Ministry of Finance before the bill was enacted, which could lead to a bureaucratic system, he said.
Zambezi Regional Councillor Cletius Sipapela was concerned that institutions such as local authorities and regional councils were excluded in the process of formulating laws.
Sipapela said the intention of the bill was clear, but its consequences were unclear.
“We do not need an Act to regulate PPPs but a policy. Government could face lawsuits from private investors, but with policies, we can negotiate our way out,” Sipapela said.
He also raised concern over the affordability of services that would be provided by a PPP venture to ordinary citizens.
The bill will be referred back to the National Assembly.
The NC adjourned until further notice.
NAMPA
Many members of parliament in the National Council preferred a PPP policy instead of an Act of Parliament.
Based on the recommendations of a select committee of the National Council tasked to review the impact of the bill, MPs felt that the bill was not inclusive of all communities and raised questions of affordability for low-income earners who would be affected.
The committee unanimously agreed that the National Council should object to the principle of the PPP Bill, following public hearings that took place in the Kavango East, Oshana, Otjozondjupa, Erongo, Hardap, //Karas and Khomas regions from 23 January to 6 February 2017.
The committee said the report was a true reflection of what was said at the public hearings, thus the recommendation to reject the principle of the bill emanated from the concerns raised during the hearings.
They said regional councils, local authorities, tertiary education institutions, trade unions, the business community and the public, who made submissions before the committee during the public hearings on the bill, were not consulted by the Ministry of Finance when the bill was drafted.
Hardap Regional Councillor Nico Mugenga raised several questions during the review of the report on the formulation of the bill, questioning if there was a similar piece of legislature in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) that Namibia could draw lessons from.
He said looking at Namibia's economic situation; the country was not in a position to enact a law on PPP.
“Every law that will come out should have a clear-cut component of decentralisation to address the issue of governance at local and regional level,” Mungenga said.
Hardap Regional Councillor Simon Dukeleni said the bill could have been a good law if it had empowered small and medium enterprises.
The bill also overlooked the constitution by establishing a PPP unit in the Ministry of Finance before the bill was enacted, which could lead to a bureaucratic system, he said.
Zambezi Regional Councillor Cletius Sipapela was concerned that institutions such as local authorities and regional councils were excluded in the process of formulating laws.
Sipapela said the intention of the bill was clear, but its consequences were unclear.
“We do not need an Act to regulate PPPs but a policy. Government could face lawsuits from private investors, but with policies, we can negotiate our way out,” Sipapela said.
He also raised concern over the affordability of services that would be provided by a PPP venture to ordinary citizens.
The bill will be referred back to the National Assembly.
The NC adjourned until further notice.
NAMPA
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