Swapo must provide moral leadership
Addressing Swapo members of parliament during an induction course yesterday, President Hage Geingob said the party must use its numerical advantage in the legislature to set the tone for the national agenda.
“How can people who are leading by an extra 30 seats be controlled by others?” the president wanted to know, perhaps referring to the fact that the opposition has in some way been winning on this front.
Numerical dominance is beautiful but only when used for the greater good of the country. The opposite is true: when such dominance is used to protect self-preservation, as is often the case, the masses suffer.
Swapo must use their numbers to amend laws that maintain the skewed economic demographics of our country – and not to bloat parliament, create vice-president's position or placing sole responsibility for fishing quota distribution in the hands of one minister.
Use the legislative superiority to resolve the land issue once and for all. Flex your muscles to scrap laws from yesteryear that have ensured the very status quo that pushed black majorities to the edge of civilisation are still in place.
Parliament is not a beauty contest. And if it is, that beauty must be in the form of ensuring that every citizen has a greater chance of having a bite at the national cake. Dominance that serves parochial economic and political interest of a few has been the only game in town so far. And this must stop.
“How can people who are leading by an extra 30 seats be controlled by others?” the president wanted to know, perhaps referring to the fact that the opposition has in some way been winning on this front.
Numerical dominance is beautiful but only when used for the greater good of the country. The opposite is true: when such dominance is used to protect self-preservation, as is often the case, the masses suffer.
Swapo must use their numbers to amend laws that maintain the skewed economic demographics of our country – and not to bloat parliament, create vice-president's position or placing sole responsibility for fishing quota distribution in the hands of one minister.
Use the legislative superiority to resolve the land issue once and for all. Flex your muscles to scrap laws from yesteryear that have ensured the very status quo that pushed black majorities to the edge of civilisation are still in place.
Parliament is not a beauty contest. And if it is, that beauty must be in the form of ensuring that every citizen has a greater chance of having a bite at the national cake. Dominance that serves parochial economic and political interest of a few has been the only game in town so far. And this must stop.
Comments
Namibian Sun
No comments have been left on this article