Mekulu Wadimbulukeni 

A constitutional limitation provides that the President must only serve 10 years.

The same limitation must be extended to parliamentarians and all political office positions. However, theirs will be for 15 years to allow flexibility and generational transition. 

The parliamentarians must ensure the fulfilment of Chapter 7 of the Namibian constitution. However, to what extent does their fulfilment and obligation as a duty meets our generational needs is another question. 

Hence a need to introduce term limits for parliamentarians.  If in every 15 years there are new persons in parliament, there will be an evolution of new ideas that is driven by a new era. 

This will avoid the proliferation of political parties in Namibia and create political space for members within your political parties and act as a conveying belt by attracting new members today and beyond. 

If every parliamentarian is given an opportunity to deliver within 15 years, they will be time bound knowing that they will not prolong passing progressive laws and the Executive or Cabinet will without delay implement policies and programmes. If in every 15 years a new parliamentarian will scrutinise and ensure that the promise to the Namibian people is realised through new strategies and new energy, each era would have joint responsibility of governance. The State will function as a generational machinery providing first hand aspirant new politicians addressing their own needs to challenges with new methods to political governance. This will then ensure each generation will have the opportunity to add value to the development of Namibia. We will not have unnecessary political infighting and agendas to destroy one another just to get rid of hardworking, honest and selfless politicians because they refused to be groomed for corruption. God gives us a time on earth to advance his cause to feed those who are hungry, dress the poor, work the land and share in his resources, so there should be a time to exit the parliament and that is in every 15 years of great service you have offered to the Namibian people. How will this be achieved? Knowing that God has left very few of the likes of Abraham, it will be improbable, it’s like finding a white elephant in the world because we are humans, no parliamentarian will agree to pass a law that put a term limit to their own tenure. 

The process of power to the people will be the only option to pass this law. 

As it stands, every member of parliament is represented through a political party, at least for now there are no independent candidates, thus Article 50 of the Namibian constitution provides that every National Assembly “shall continue for a maximum period of five years”, thus allowing some flexibility. 

I am sure the legal drafters of the Namibian constitution have no intention to allow a tenure way beyond life in parliament. 

However, because of obvious reasons, now people have mastered the arts of strategising tactical elections with meticulous calculations as a result of that, they have been prolonging their stay in parliament over 15 years and ensuring that the list to parliament is in their favour.

Those of you in your own respective political parties must ensure that this becomes a party constitutional provision at your envisaged congresses and conferences. 

If again you don’t have the numbers at congress, then it is your political duty to convince and swap their minds with yours. 

If in every 15 years there is a new generation of politicians in political positions, then 50% of them would have shared in the same pain and suffering or experiences related to current challenges such as unemployment, inequality of resource redistribution, poverty, housing and land allocation but not limited to the latter. 

Not everyone wants to be a parliamentarian, therefore, the term limitations must be extended to all political appointments. 

Therefore, once you serve for 15 years in any of the political positions, you will no longer qualify for another appointment. 

However, you could choose to be a local authority councillor for five years and then another five years as a regional councillor and a parliamentarian for the remainder of the final five years of your political deployment.