The 2023 Appropriation Bill was passed without amendments in the National Assembly last week, following a range of issues, many of them complex, some contentious, while others were emotionally attached.
The passing of the Bill also saw the National Council and National Assembly resume their recess.
The Bill will be used to appropriate amounts of money to meet the financial requirements of the State during the financial year ending on 31 March 2024.
Finance and Public Enterprises Minister Iipumbu Shiimi on 22 February tabled a N$84.6 billion budget in the National Assembly for the 2023/24 financial year, which represents an increase of 9.7% from the comparable levels for last year.
The theme of this year’s budget is ‘Economic Revival and Caring for the Poor’. National Assembly acting spokesperson Rafael Hangula said, “The House dealt with the Appropriation Bill [B. 1-2023], which was the only bill received by the National Assembly during the just-ended session. This bill was passed without amendments by both Houses of Parliament and now stands to be referred by the Speaker to His Excellency the President to deal with it under Articles 56 and 64 of the Namibian Constitution,” he explained.
Apart from the Appropriation Bill, the House also dealt with various motions.
These include a motion to debate the need to put flood control and management measures that are sufficient and to provide financial aid to the affected communities. The motion was adopted on 25 April 2023.
Another motion debated the current deep crisis in the education sector with a view to finding long-term interventions to overcome the post-Covid-19 impact within the education system. This motion was referred to a parliamentary committee on 18 April 2023 for further scrutiny.
The House also saw a motion that debated the establishment of a Genocide Memorial Museum for the 1904 genocide perpetuated against the OvaHerero and Nama communities. This motion is still under discussion.
The motion to find a solution to the devastating effect the increasing seal population has on the sustainable harvesting of our fish was referred to a Parliamentary Committee on 2 March 2023.
Equally, another one includes the debate on the necessity of OMAs that have workplace policy on HIV and AIDS to review and expand it, and to implement where such a programme does not exist.
Still under discussion is the motion to investigate the unethical multiple charges resulting in over-profiteering by Commercial Banks in Namibia’s perpetual colonial legacy of class and race discrimination against their clients.