I don’t know what to do: Ejected PDM MPs react
Some of the ousted Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) members of parliament appeared numb at the Supreme Court’s landmark verdict that they should be ushered out of Parliament because they were there irregularly.
Former teachers Geoffrey Mwilima, Esmeralda !Aebes and Johannes Martin quit their jobs to join Parliament after the 2019 election; so did Kazeongere Tjeundo - who was a regional councillor in Kunene Region, former court interpreter Timotheus Shihumbu and Outjo businessman and local authority councillor Pieter Mostert.
They have since been told, in a court ruling delivered on Monday by justices Peter Shivute, Petrus Damaseb and Theo Frank, that they must vacate Parliament because they were illegally there and must vacate their seats – leaving nearly all of them jobless.
Martin yesterday said: “I don’t have anything to do because I resigned [as a teacher]. If Parliament implements the court’s decision, I don’t have any power to change that”.
Shihumbu said the party’s leadership will sit this week to chart the way forward.
Keep a low profile
There are talks within PDM that the party might consider to keep the six on its payroll for the remainder of the current parliamentary term to avert the financial impact of their unceremonious ouster.
Party president McHenry Venaani, who fought to the tilt against removing the MPs, said there was no plan to compensate the outgoing sextet.
Mostert said: “I am a businessperson. I’ll continue with business and keep a low political profile”.
Mwilima was at a loss of words, opting not to comment.
During the run-up to the elections in 2019, PDM submitted its original election list, decided by its central committee, to be gazetted.
During this process, it was found that some of these nominees were civil servants and therefore had to either resign from their respective jobs or vacate the party list.
The six vacated the party list and were replaced by Charmaine Tjirare, Reggie Diergaardt, Mike Venaani (father of McHenry Venaani), Frans Bertolini, Yvette Araes and Maximilliant Katjimune.
The list the Electoral Commission of Namibia submitted for gazetting had the latter names, but after the elections, PDM made a U-turn and replaced the six members with those who were originally on the list.
This prompted a legal challenge by Tjirare and fellow PDM National Assembly candidate Hidipo Hamata, through lawyer Norman Tjombe, who called the removal of his clients’ names “fraudulent”.
Former teachers Geoffrey Mwilima, Esmeralda !Aebes and Johannes Martin quit their jobs to join Parliament after the 2019 election; so did Kazeongere Tjeundo - who was a regional councillor in Kunene Region, former court interpreter Timotheus Shihumbu and Outjo businessman and local authority councillor Pieter Mostert.
They have since been told, in a court ruling delivered on Monday by justices Peter Shivute, Petrus Damaseb and Theo Frank, that they must vacate Parliament because they were illegally there and must vacate their seats – leaving nearly all of them jobless.
Martin yesterday said: “I don’t have anything to do because I resigned [as a teacher]. If Parliament implements the court’s decision, I don’t have any power to change that”.
Shihumbu said the party’s leadership will sit this week to chart the way forward.
Keep a low profile
There are talks within PDM that the party might consider to keep the six on its payroll for the remainder of the current parliamentary term to avert the financial impact of their unceremonious ouster.
Party president McHenry Venaani, who fought to the tilt against removing the MPs, said there was no plan to compensate the outgoing sextet.
Mostert said: “I am a businessperson. I’ll continue with business and keep a low political profile”.
Mwilima was at a loss of words, opting not to comment.
During the run-up to the elections in 2019, PDM submitted its original election list, decided by its central committee, to be gazetted.
During this process, it was found that some of these nominees were civil servants and therefore had to either resign from their respective jobs or vacate the party list.
The six vacated the party list and were replaced by Charmaine Tjirare, Reggie Diergaardt, Mike Venaani (father of McHenry Venaani), Frans Bertolini, Yvette Araes and Maximilliant Katjimune.
The list the Electoral Commission of Namibia submitted for gazetting had the latter names, but after the elections, PDM made a U-turn and replaced the six members with those who were originally on the list.
This prompted a legal challenge by Tjirare and fellow PDM National Assembly candidate Hidipo Hamata, through lawyer Norman Tjombe, who called the removal of his clients’ names “fraudulent”.
Comments