IPC’s parliamentary headache

The Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) could face administrative and leadership bottlenecks if it does not clearly define the role of its president Dr Panduleni Itula and that of its party leader in the National Assembly, who will carry the title of leader of the official opposition.Itula, along with vice-president Trevino Forbes and national general secretary Christine Aochamus, are not part of the party’s National Assembly list, after party members reached broad consensus that they should focus on running the party’s affairs.As for Itula, his absence from the list stems from IPC’s long-held stance that dual candidacy should not be allowed in Namibia’s political dispensation. Itula stood as a candidate in the presidential election, where he finished second behind Swapo’s candidate, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah.With Itula absent from the National Assembly, it remains to be seen whether Michael Mwashindange, who occupies the first position on the party’s parliamentary list, will succeed the Popular Democratic Movement’s McHenry Venaani as the leader of the official opposition.Gazetted listThe leader of the official opposition is by law entitled to receive an official vehicle with a dedicated driver, office space and personnel.The office-holder also enjoys several parliamentary and state benefits and privileges. These include first option to ask questions and engage the president during the State of the Nation address, as well as official recognition and a speaking slot at various state events.National Assembly secretary Lydia Kandetu has made it clear that the office of the leader of the official opposition can only be held by someone who is an incumbent member of the National Assembly.“We do not get involved in the processes to determine who becomes an MP, we only deal with the gazetted list provided to us by the Electoral Commission of Namibia. That office is only for someone who has been duly sworn in as a member of the National Assembly,” she told Namibian Sun yesterday.Sustainability Governance expert Dr Marius Kudumo said the IPC could face administrative issues if the allocation of duties is not executed well.“In terms of protocol, how will that person be addressed at national events, seeing that he or she will be the party leader in parliament but not the overall party head?”Kudumo further stated that the party’s decision not to send its bigwigs to parliament “could be a limiting factor".“We do not understand why they have that system, but it will surely bring limitations in terms of decision-making, because the leader in parliament might not articulate the party’s position as well as the president, vice-president and the secretary general. It might also turn out that they will always be forced to seek permission from the superiors,” he pointed out. He added: “In terms of parliament, you need stability, authority and the lines of communication sorted out; otherwise, there will be a situation where everything is around an individual. In terms of sustainability, this does not bode well.”Critics of the move have cautioned that the decision not to send its top figures to parliament could be detrimental to the party, while others have questioned the quality of candidates on offer. None of the 96 candidates on the IPC have ever served in parliament.No regretsThe party’s VP said it does not regret its decision to omit its top three figures from its parliamentary list because “we have full confidence in our candidates".“We have full trust in our candidates and we know that they are capable of fulfilling their mandate. I can tell you confidently that we are not second-guessing our candidates in any way,” Forbes told Namibian Sun on Tuesday.Forbes also reiterated the party’s stance that “the elections were not free and fair.“We still have a long way to go, but we all know that the process was flawed,” he said.Level of impactPolitical analyst Rui Tyitende said the extent to which IPC lawmakers will be allowed to operate independently in the National Assembly will determine their level of impact.“Dr Itula has this arrogance of power where he always wants to remote control his party members from a distance. You remember at the City of Windhoek not so long ago he restrained IPC councillors from attending council meetings,” Tyitende said.“These kinds of actions do not bode well for our democracy. We need lawmakers who can think independently,” he said.

IPC’s parliamentary headache

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Namibian Sun 2025-01-08

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IPC’s parliamentary headache

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Namibian Sun 2025-01-08

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