Windhoek
The Minister of Sport, Youth and National Service, Jerry Ekandjo, has pleaded with fellow MPs to ensure they eat at their homes before attending functions to avoid embarrassing themselves with plates so overloaded that the food ends up on the floor.
Ekandjo made the plea when he again pleaded for more etiquette training for lawmakers on how to behave to avoid embarrassing themselves and their hosts.
He was speaking during the debate on the Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation’s budget allocation.
“If you are invited to an event please eat enough at home so that you do not run for food. Some of you go to functions without eating and end up filling your plates until everything falls from the plate,” he said.
Ekandjo and the then minister of regional and local government, housing and rural development (now renamed urban and rural development) Charles Namoloh last year had proposed etiquette training but a workshop was never conducted.
“When you go abroad you represent the country,” said Ekandjo as he pleaded for training, which he says is important to avoid lawmakers embarrassing the country by their lack of table manners and the requisite etiquette at such events.
He also suggested that such workshop should include a course on greeting other dignitaries in a dignified and acceptable way without causing offence.
“Sometimes you get a visitor from outside – that person will just have one sip from the cup of coffee but we want to drink many cups,” he said.
The Minister of International Relations and Cooperation, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, said her ministry was ready to conduct such a workshop.
“We can conduct it but we will not organise it. We can even do it next week if you [lawmakers] are ready,” she said.
MPs agreed to convene for the etiquette workshop during the second week of June.