The decorum of the National Assembly (NA) on Wednesday was thrown out the window, with Landless People’s Movement’s Henny Seibeb challenging environment minister Pohamba Shifeta to a fist fight outside, amidst complete pandemonium.
“Ek sal jou moer [I will beat you up]. Let’s go outside. You don’t know me,” a fuming Seibeb told Shifeta while standing in the centre of the august House.
Shifeta did not react to Seibeb’s call.
Seibeb also accused Shifeta of having a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) that he never sat for, claiming it was done on his behalf by justice minister Yvonne Dausab, a former university law lecturer.
Shifeta did not respond to this allegation either, neither did Dausab.
The heated exchange emanated from a motion by Popular Democratic Movement (PDM) lawmaker Elma Dienda who wants Article 47 of the Constitution revisited.
According to Dienda, Article 47 is discriminatory as it bars members of the National Council, regional and local authority councillors and civil servants from freely participating as candidates in the National Assembly election.
This, she said, is in direct contravention of Article 17 which grants ‘every citizen who has reached the age of 21 to be elected to public office.’
“The fundamental question then follows: are members of the public and civil service not equally entitled to participate freely as candidates in the National Assembly election?”
Dienda further contended:
“It also escapes simple common sense that members of the National Council, regional and local authorities, as well as civil servants, are expected to resign from their jobs while having no assurance that they will actually be elected as members of the National Assembly. It is, therefore, imperative that Article 47 of the Namibian Constitution that deals with the disqualification of members of the National Assembly be amended.”
National Unity Democratic Organisation MP Joseph Kauandenge supported the motion, saying laws that are unjust and unreasonable have no place in Namibia.
“It could not have been the intention of the framers of our Constitution to say on one side, every citizen in this country has the right to participate freely and be elected to any public office and at the same time put that provision preventing certain members of our society from participating,” Kauandenge asserted.
As the debate went on, the fracas between Seibeb and Shifeta ensued.
It was after Shifeta branded PDM lawmaker Inna Hengari “a child” following her continual interjections while he made his input.
She told Shifeta that he had no moral grounds to address the assembly because he is “a Kora minister” and that he must “pay back the money”.
Hengari was referring to the N$23 million that vanished after being paid in 2016 to host the Kora All Africa Music Awards, which never took place.
For the next 45 minutes, the House descended into chaos, with insults being hurled all over as NA speaker Peter Katjavivi attempted to bring order.
Desks were banged on across the house with fists, books or whatever available at the hands of certain MPs to contribute to the pandemonium.
With Katjivivi’s call seemingly falling on deaf ears, deputy works minister Veikko Nekundi could be heard referring to the speaker as “weak”.
“We can’t be controlled by these people [opposition]. Get the House in order. It is a kangaroo parliament,” Nekundi shouted while continuously hitting his desk with a book, a sound that echoed throughout the chambers.
On her part, Dausab asked that Dienda’s motion not be discussed as it attempts to amend the constitution.
“It seems to me that if we are going to debate this question that’s amending the constitution, that you’d have to bring a bill to the house,” Dausab said. – Nampa