SPYL CC meeting questioned
The SPYL secretary for labour and justice says Saturday's central committee meeting did not follow proper procedure.
Swapo Party Youth League (SPYL) acting secretary Veikko Nekundi has been asked to reverse a decision to nominate candidates for the positions of secretary and deputy secretary when the youth league holds its congress in August.
Writing to Nekundi, SPYL secretary for labour and justice Sydney Ganeb questioned the legality of Saturday's meeting, saying that the National Executive Committee did not meet the quorum requirement to set the wheels in motion for the central committee (CC) meeting.
According to him, the NEC's inability to convene also meant that nomination and vetting procedures had not been adhered to.
Writing to Nekundi, he said: “The National Executive Committee [NEC] which consists of 11 members, did not have the necessary quorum, a simple majority of five plus one, to legally sit on 12 May 2017 and prepare periodic reports for the central committee and to formulate the nominations and vetting policy for adoption by the central committee amongst other business of that house.”
According to Ganeb, this was customary practice and had not been carried out. “I have from my desk submitted reports for discussion and adoption of the NEC to you and the members of the NEC. This reports included the draft nominations and vetting policy of the SPYL which in my view as is the practice in the organisation was supposed to be discussed and adopted before we take it to the central committee for same. This has not happened,” said Ganeb.
“It is logical then that only after such discussions at NEC and CC the document would then become operational. The draft policy was not discussed or debated at NEC as NEC did not have a quorum to sit. Thus its draft policy could not have been taken to central committee for discussion or adoption.”
Explaining the nomination process to Nekundi, he said: “The nominations as you are aware in the history of SPYL have traditionally been made after all the structures have been given an opportunity to nominate. This is to promote democracy within the organisation and to allow members through their representatives to nominate leaders of their choice for secretary and deputy positions. Doing otherwise will rob these members and deny them their rights.
“The central committee usually announces after it has agreed on nomination process, vetting and rules that the period for nominations is now open and give details of the nomination process to all structures with a set deadline after which all nominations are to be received by a vetting committee as established by the NEC, which in this case has not been done as the NEC have not sit under quorum on 12 May 2017,” he added. Asking Nekundi to set matters right, he said: “I wish to implore on you to do the right thing and follow the provisions of the SPYL constitution and provide the regional structures to participate in this process, it is the right of all members of SPYL to choose their preferred candidates and for central committee to hastily take such a decision borders around unconstitutionality which every angle you are looking at it.”
National Youth Council chairman Mandela Kapere and Ephraim Nekongo are in the running for the position of youth league secretary while Christine Haindaka, Mogale Karimbue and Immanuel Shikongo are in the running for the position of deputy secretary.
OGONE TLHAGE
Writing to Nekundi, SPYL secretary for labour and justice Sydney Ganeb questioned the legality of Saturday's meeting, saying that the National Executive Committee did not meet the quorum requirement to set the wheels in motion for the central committee (CC) meeting.
According to him, the NEC's inability to convene also meant that nomination and vetting procedures had not been adhered to.
Writing to Nekundi, he said: “The National Executive Committee [NEC] which consists of 11 members, did not have the necessary quorum, a simple majority of five plus one, to legally sit on 12 May 2017 and prepare periodic reports for the central committee and to formulate the nominations and vetting policy for adoption by the central committee amongst other business of that house.”
According to Ganeb, this was customary practice and had not been carried out. “I have from my desk submitted reports for discussion and adoption of the NEC to you and the members of the NEC. This reports included the draft nominations and vetting policy of the SPYL which in my view as is the practice in the organisation was supposed to be discussed and adopted before we take it to the central committee for same. This has not happened,” said Ganeb.
“It is logical then that only after such discussions at NEC and CC the document would then become operational. The draft policy was not discussed or debated at NEC as NEC did not have a quorum to sit. Thus its draft policy could not have been taken to central committee for discussion or adoption.”
Explaining the nomination process to Nekundi, he said: “The nominations as you are aware in the history of SPYL have traditionally been made after all the structures have been given an opportunity to nominate. This is to promote democracy within the organisation and to allow members through their representatives to nominate leaders of their choice for secretary and deputy positions. Doing otherwise will rob these members and deny them their rights.
“The central committee usually announces after it has agreed on nomination process, vetting and rules that the period for nominations is now open and give details of the nomination process to all structures with a set deadline after which all nominations are to be received by a vetting committee as established by the NEC, which in this case has not been done as the NEC have not sit under quorum on 12 May 2017,” he added. Asking Nekundi to set matters right, he said: “I wish to implore on you to do the right thing and follow the provisions of the SPYL constitution and provide the regional structures to participate in this process, it is the right of all members of SPYL to choose their preferred candidates and for central committee to hastily take such a decision borders around unconstitutionality which every angle you are looking at it.”
National Youth Council chairman Mandela Kapere and Ephraim Nekongo are in the running for the position of youth league secretary while Christine Haindaka, Mogale Karimbue and Immanuel Shikongo are in the running for the position of deputy secretary.
OGONE TLHAGE
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