Linea Dishena 

Namibia’s first-ever female National Assembly Speaker Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila has already set the tone for the 8th Parliament, saying it must prioritise Namibia above political or personal gains.

Speaking at the induction and orientation seminar for Members of Parliament in the
capital on Monday.

Kuugongelwa-Amadhila noted that the start of the eighth parliamentary term coincides with the end of the 2024/25 financial year. As such, the new Parliament is required to address critical matters such as the approval of the budget for the upcoming year, which must be passed in time to ensure that public institutions are equipped with the necessary resources to discharge their functions and deliver services to the Namibian people.

“As a new Parliament, we will also need to deal with a number of other important national issues that are very pressing. We, therefore, have to hit the ground running to be able to meet the expectations of our people, our electorates both in terms of our timelines for dealing with important national issues, and the effectiveness with which we do so,” she noted.

Kuugongelwa-Amadhila further indicated that the eighth Parliament coincides with the final five years leading to the year 2030, by which time Namibia envisions a transformed society.

“We now have to build on our successes and learn from our experiences to make further progress. While the challenges that we face are significant, they are not insurmountable. With unity of purpose that is now across political parties, with resilience and innovation, we can achieve much more than we have been able to,” she added. -Nampa