2014-02-10Mathias Haufiku "WINDHOEK – Lawmakers will be back at work tomorrow to start this year’s parliamentary agenda, which will see the tabling of 18 bills. Some of the bills that may be discussed throughout the course of the year include the Appropriation, Audit, Civil, Financial Institutions and Markets, Higher Education Amendment, Marriage, Namibian Students Financial Assistance Amendment, National Security Council and Seed and Seed Varieties bills. There will be very little activity in parliament during the months of May and August and July, with parliament set to go on recess in May and August, while there will only be six parliamentary sessions in July. This year’s parliamentary theme is “Promoting Oversight Effectiveness Towards Ensuring Transparent National Budget Administration,” the Speaker of the National Assembly, Theo-Ben Gurirab, said when he announced the official opening of the 9th Session of the 5th Parliament in a media statement last week. This year parliament will have 81 sessions, while in 2012 there were only 78 sessions. The Access and Benefits Sharing, Child Care and protection, Electronic Transactions, Gaming Entertainment Control, Immigration Control Amendment, Namibia Financial Institutions Supervisory Authority, National Construction Industry Council, Plant Breeders’ and Farmers’ Rights and Urban and Regional Planning bills may also be tabled during this calendar year. By Mathias Haufiku" 2014-02-10Mathias Haufiku
