Allexer Namundjembo
Analysts have cautiously welcomed Prime Minister Elijah Ngurare’s decision to revive Prime Minister’s Question Time and establish a new engagement platform for social media and community activists.
They said the initiative could strengthen public participation in governance if it delivers tangible results rather than becoming a public relations exercise.
Ngurare announced on Monday that the government is reactivating Prime Minister’s Question Time while introducing a separate platform to facilitate direct engagement between the Prime Minister and activists across the country.
“In the interest of stakeholders engagement, we are not only reactivating Prime Minister’s Question Time but will also create a new platform specifically for various social media and or community activists, countrywide, from time to time, to meet with the Prime Minister and share their views on governance matters as outlined in NDP6,” Ngurare said.
He added that the initiative forms part of the government’s broader nation-building agenda.
“Indeed governance is nation building and your collective views and suggestions would be invaluable to our work as the 8th Administration. Above all, our common denominator must remain the national interest and security of Namibia and the welfare of our people.”
Policy analyst Marius Kudumo described the move as a positive development, provided the programme remains faithful to its stated objective of improving citizen participation, accountability and transparency.
“It is a welcome move on condition, as the Prime Minister has stated, that the purpose of the programme remains to enhance citizenry participation, accountability and transparency,” Kudumo told the Windhoek Observer on Monday.
He said ordinary citizens, whom public policy refers to as the “attentive public”, often lack practical mechanisms to directly influence government decision-making or bring concerns to the attention of the Prime Minister.
“The ordinary people, whom we call in public policy the attentive public, do not have the mechanisms and means to directly participate and influence public policy by bringing their concerns to the attention of the Prime Minister, who is the leader of Government Administration, with the expectation that their concerns will be attended to timeously. The platform, if it remains true to its intended objectives, is one of such mechanisms,” Kudumo stated.
Kudumo said the programme could provide the government with more accurate feedback on the implementation of national development programmes by hearing directly from communities rather than relying exclusively on official reports.
“Through the programme, the grassroots could inform the Prime Minister, and by extension, the Legislature and the Executive, about implementation of national developmental programmes and their impact instead of bureaucratic reporting, which sometimes is doctored to look impressive without the impact being felt by the people,” he further stated.
However, he warned that the initiative would lose credibility if it shifted away from meaningful public engagement.
“The programme will become symbolic if it deviates from the original objective and becomes a government marketing tool instead of an attentive listening and feedback platform.”
Political analyst Ndumba Kamwanyah also welcomed the reactivation of Prime Minister’s Question Time, saying it creates greater opportunities for citizens to engage directly with government.
“The reactivation of Prime Minister’s Question Time is a positive step because it creates more opportunities for the public to question the government and promotes openness,” Kamwanyah said.
He, however, cautioned that the programme’s effectiveness would ultimately be judged by the government’s response to public concerns.
“Its success will depend on whether leaders provide honest answers, act on concerns raised, and follow up on commitments. Without this, it risks becoming a public relations exercise rather than improving transparency and accountability,” he said.
Kamwanyah said the new platform for activists also has the potential to influence public policy, but only if government demonstrates that public input informs decision-making.
“The new platform has the potential to influence policy if the views of activists and communities are genuinely considered and reflected in government decisions. However, if there are no clear mechanisms to show how public input shapes policy, it could become a symbolic consultation exercise instead of delivering meaningful change,” he added.
According to Kamwanyah, the initiative’s success will ultimately be measured by whether it produces concrete outcomes.
“The real measure of success will be whether engagement leads to visible action and better governance,” he said.
