By Stefanus Nashama
SWAPO has called for tough sanctions against AR leader Job Amupanda and opposition MPs accused of repeatedly breaching parliamentary rules, while the Namibia Economic Freedom Fighters (NEFF) has called on Speaker Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila to step aside for one month.
The developments have intensified a dispute over parliamentary procedure, the Speaker’s authority and the extent to which opposition MPs can challenge government decisions.
In a strongly worded statement, SWAPO accused AR members, under Amupanda’s leadership, of deliberately obstructing proceedings in an attempt to render Parliament ineffective.
The party described the conduct as part of what it called a broader pattern of provocation and intimidation.
The latest confrontation forced the National Assembly to adjourn after an AR member was removed following an alleged refusal to comply with an order from the presiding officer.
SWAPO said the situation escalated after the House reconvened, with Amupanda allegedly attempting to address the Assembly while dressed in jeans and later using a cellphone inside the chamber.
The ruling party defended the Speaker’s decision to suspend the sitting, saying she had a responsibility to uphold the authority and dignity of Parliament.
“The SWAPO Party unequivocally and in the strongest possible terms condemns the deliberate, consistent and politically motivated disruptive conduct,” the party said.
SWAPO called on relevant parliamentary structures to impose the strongest appropriate sanctions against Amupanda and other MPs involved.
It also warned that repeated confrontations could undermine public confidence in the National Assembly and democratic institutions.
Amupanda rejected the accusations, arguing that AR was challenging what it considers poor parliamentary governance rather than deliberately seeking to paralyse the House.
Speaking at a press briefing, he accused Kuugongelwa-Amadhila of failing to properly understand and apply the Standing Rules and Orders.
“She does not read the rules,” Amupanda said, describing the management of Parliament as disorganised and incompetent.
He argued that opposition MPs are often prevented from fully raising points of order or challenging rulings before being instructed to sit down.
Amupanda also accused SWAPO of using its majority to push decisions through without substantive engagement with opposition parties, describing this as a “park the bus” strategy.
“We cannot be elected to Parliament and be told we cannot just be asking questions,” he said.
“Asking questions is our right.”
Meanwhile, NEFF Deputy Leader and MP Kalimbo Iipumbu has also criticised the Speaker’s handling of proceedings and called for her temporary withdrawal from the chair.
In a statement, Iipumbu said recent developments risk undermining Parliament’s dignity and public confidence.
He raised concerns over what he described as an increasingly rigid and authoritarian approach to managing the House and questioned whether opposition MPs were receiving fair and equal treatment.
Iipumbu stressed that these were concerns and perceptions rather than established findings of wrongdoing, but said the perception of impartiality was essential to Parliament’s credibility.
He called on Kuugongelwa-Amadhila to voluntarily step aside for one month and use the period to observe Deputy Speaker Phillipus Katamelo conducting proceedings.
“There is value in leadership through observation, reflection and learning,” Iipumbu said, arguing that the experience could provide the Speaker with a different perspective on managing the House.
SWAPO maintains that opposition MPs have the right to question and challenge government but must operate within parliamentary rules.
The party urged MPs to use established parliamentary mechanisms to raise grievances rather than disregard rulings from the presiding officer.
The dispute has now broadened beyond SWAPO and AR, putting the Speaker’s conduct, parliamentary discipline and the treatment of opposition voices at the centre of an increasingly tense political contest.
