SWAKOPMUND - Vice-President Nangolo Mbumba has implored SADC nations who recently held elections to deliver on promises made to the electorate.
Mbumba made the remarks during the official opening of the Plenary Assembly Session of the Southern African Development Community Parliamentary Forum (SADC PF) that is currently underway in Swakopmund.
The session is attended by delegates from Angola, Namibia, Mozambique, South Africa and Democratic Republic of Congo, among others, while Madagascar is attending the session for the first time and is focussing on access to healthcare, women advancement, as well as SADC’s commitment to regional development.
The vice-president pointed out that various countries in the region successfully hosted elections, which were declared as peaceful and credible.
Apart from Namibia, Mozambique, Botswana, Mauritius, Union of Comoros, Madagascar, Malawi and South Africa successfully held elections while a transfer of power was observed in the Democratic Republic of Congo this year.
“The people have spoken, and it is now for those who have entered into the proverbial social contract to work hard to deliver on their promise,” said Mbumba.
“Needless to remind, elections should never be an end in themselves but they should be a means to uplift the socio-economic conditions of those who put us in office. This is a trust which we all should not betray as we remain committed to robust democratic principles,” Mbumba said. He then told the delegates that the general elections in Namibia have been found by many observers to be compliant with the SADC model law on elections, which has been developed under the SADC plenary parliamentary.
“Hence, Namibia owes its independence to regional and international solidarity, and it is for this reason and our steadfast belief in parliamentary democracy that the Republic of Namibia will remain committed to supporting the ideals of SADC to advance democracy and governance in the region,” Mbumba said.
Mbumba concluded by saying that Namibia is not only the host of the SADC Parliamentary Forum, but is equally proud to be associated with the mandate and achievements of the regional inter-parliamentary organisation in SADC.
The session, which started 10 December and will end tomorrow, aimed at discussing issues relating to bills for the amendments to the constitution, SADC-PF regulation, and the functional and organisational structure of the organisation secretariat.