WINDHOEK – The Swapo Party Youth League (SPYL) has called for the revision of the prosecutor-general’s job so that it has a term limit for its incumbents.
The league’s secretary for information, publicity and mobilisation Lineekela Dumeni made the call in a statement yesterday.
Current PG Martha Imalwa has served as prosecutor-general since January 2004, making her the longest serving occupant in that position’s history.
Founding President Sam Nujoma appointed Imalwa to the position in November 2003.
Imalwa came under fire last month when she announced that N$600 million from the Government Institutions Pension Fund (GIPF) is lost and would not be recovered because of lack of evidence.
Dumeni said the PG term must be limited to a maximum of 10 years.
He said limiting the PG term will improve the quality of work in the Office of the Prosecutor General.
“Yes the office is competent but individuals must be given a timeframe to address issues of public interest,” he stressed.
Dumeni said the complacency which comes with serving in certain offices seems to be eroding moral integrity at a huge cost to the nation.
“When we say that any person occupying an office in the three arms of the state, including the office of the PG, should not serve more than two terms, we find justification in the GIPF saga,” Dumeni said.
“The term of the office of the PG indeed has to be controlled. We will therefore be justified to go to parliament and we want the law to change the PG term to be limited to 10 years,” he said.
“We want all the cases to find light of day in the interest of justice. Our people are facing inequalities, poverty, and unemployment is high amongst the youth and yet the person entrusted with prosecution basks in an office without astutely delivering on their constitutional mandate,” he said.
Furthermore, Dumeni also called for a review in PG powers not to prosecute to be revised by the courts or the appointing authority, the Judiciary Service Commission (JSC).
He said the ruling party youth wing is saddened that the country’s coffers are being looted with impunity on a regular basis by some presumably powerful clique of “kleptocrats”.
“It is amazing to say the least that nobody seems to care as the stories just make headlines for a brief while and the dust suddenly settles and these thieves smile as if the nation is moving in the right direction,” he said.
“We cannot continue to allow money being looted in this country, whilst the unemployed youth graduates are wallowing on the streets and national coffers continue being drained,” he said.
The youth wing spokesperson also called for an appointment of a judge for an inquiry into the missing GIPF N$600 million.
Imalwa has previously defended her office’s conduct in the GIPF debacle, saying she would not persecute those accused of crimes while evidence to support such claims is skimpy.