By Sabina Elago
EENHANA– Norman Ndeuyeeka, the Chief Whip of the Namibian Children’s Parliament, is urging the junior town council’s to understand the struggles a junior leader is facing cautioning them not to forget their obligations towards the youth and children.
“The task you have as young leaders and the commitment you owe the people’s representative is to understand that the only future leader is an unborn baby but you and I today are leaders in our own right, either by legitimacy or self-declared. Today you are sitting in these positions as junior leaders, but that’s not where you end. People voted for you because they see potential that you might not see in yourself,” he said. Acording to Ndeuyeeka the Namibian Children/Youth Parliament has helped establish junior town councils in the country with some regions yet to introduce the progressive bodies in their localities. “These was done to equally allow the young residents of each town to have or to be involved in desicion making ,especially in activities that affact their plight as young residents.”
To ensure that junior town councils in the Northern parts of the country are fulfilling their duties and are really to represent the young people of their towns, the Namibian Children’s Parliament conducted a meeting with them over the holiday. The meeting was held to share leadership knowledge with junior councillors and to help them become better young and vibrant leaders with the help of each other. The meetings were in December in the regions of Ohangwena,Oshana and Omusati. “It is my social responsibility to ensure that the junior town councils are perfoming their duties and that they are really there to represent the young people of their towns or that they are not only sitting in positions to help themselves to incentives offred and the exposure to local authority proceedings,”said Ndeuyeeka. Highlight the problems facing the young people in their towns, the junior mayors raised the issue of the accessibility of affordable land.They also expressed concerns over the lack of leisure centres with Ohangwena and Omusati toping the list of copmlaints,while Oshana is said to be better of.The children’s leaders on the one other hand also said they needed playgrounds for after school play and where they could meet their friends as such is much safer instead of along the road and in streets.