Allexer Namundjembo
Outgoing Namibian Economic Freedom Fighters (NEFF) chief whip and deputy leader, Kalimbo Iipumbu has called for an extension from five to ten years of the service terms for members of parliament.
He made this call during a media interview at Parliament on Tuesday.
“I really have to make it clear that the term of five years was really challenging for the outgoing MPs to implement necessary policies. You should remember that as a member of parliament, immediately after two years, the time you were trying to associate yourself with others and trying to come up with proposals and table motions that will benefit the nation, it is already the time you’ll start to think if you’ll come back with the next parliament,” Iipumbu said.
He added that many ministers were unable to complete their projects due to time constraints.
“If you ask ministers now, they will tell you that they did not have enough time to complete their policies. It is now time to go to our constitution and review the five-year term. I know it is democracy, but we also need democracy that is guided so that the lives of our people have improved. They can even extend to ten years,” he added.
Iipumbu noted that uncertainty about re-election affects MPs’ performance. He praised the 7th Parliament for its achievements despite challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic and the loss of the president.
“It was a challenge. We were faced with COVID-19, a challenge that we faced since we were not coming to parliament and contributing to the betterment of people,” he added.
Iipumbu also clarified that the NEFF has decided that he will continue as its representative in parliament.
“Our party leader, Epafras Mukwiilongo, will be deployed on the ground and I will be representing the NEFF in parliament as party leader and also the chief whip in parliament. It is a strategic decision. It is not that we have seen weakness in our president, but we want to strengthen our organisation. Remember it is just a five-year term, and we need to shape our organization so we present good leadership to the parliament of Namibia,” Iipumbu added.
Political analyst Ndumba Kamwanyah criticised Iipumbu’s proposal, stating that extending MPs’ terms to ten years is unnecessary.
“The primary role of Parliament is to legislate, not to implement policies. While it is true that implementing policies takes time, it is the executive branch, not parliament, that is responsible for execution. MPs should focus on creating sound legislation within their term, ensuring that the laws they pass are in the best interest of the people,” Kamwanyah said.
He argued that frequent elections ensure democratic accountability.
“Extending the term to ten years might reduce the democratic accountability that regular elections provide. Frequent elections allow voters to assess the performance of their representatives, ensuring they remain responsive to the needs of the people. Longer terms could potentially lessen this crucial check on power,” said Kamwanyah.
Kamwanyah suggested that the focus should be on improving governance structures rather than extending terms.
“If policies are not being fully implemented within the five-year term, perhaps the focus should be on improving administrative systems or streamlining the policy implementation process,” Kamwanyah added.
The constitution, under Article 47, limits MPs to serving a five-year term.
After this period, new elections must be held, and current MPs may be re-elected but cannot serve beyond the term limits without re-election.
