By Chris Jacobie

Copyright web

THE chaos that erupted in parliament resulting in three members having been removed from the chambers, is not an isolated incident and should not be shrugged off as such.

The only surprise is that there are Namibians that can feign surprise or pretend that they were thrown off guard by the collapse of discipline and lack of self-control that Namibians mainly still see in edited videos on social media platforms.

The Namibian voters, who stood for hours in long lines and tolerated incompetence and disrespect, did not vote for anarchy and chaos, in maybe the most sacred of democratic institutions, unlike smear media of anarchy and ignorance that thrive on the easily excitable.

Like mushrooms, they are fed by manure and only grow in the dark.But….The latest incident is only one in a long line of collapsing discipline in the National Assembly that reared its head significantly during the tenure of the former Speaker, Prof. Peter Katjavivi, and was never decisively addressed.

Therefore, not everything should be blamed on the activists, but the whole National Assembly should take responsibility.

First of all, the Speaker, Dr Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, is bullied, and whether Namibians like her or not, she represents the standard of a parliamentary democracy and deserves respect for that. Me. Kuugongelwa-Amadhila contested for the Swapo leadership and by definition for the presidency and was beaten by Me. Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah. She not only accepted defeat like a true democrat, but accepted the appointment of Speaker, knowing well the risks of insult and incite that might be unleashed against her. She herself was a as Prime Minister in the former government.

The Speaker must be admired for accepting the daunting task and her efforts to restore the dignity of the National Assembly, that is for the longest time brought under suspicion by officials and members who tastelessly introduce themselves to strangers as “honourable”, but act dishonourably.

What is happening to Me. Kuugongelwa-Amadhila from all sides of the House is nothing short of political, domestic, and gender based violence. There is no difference between the disrespect and verbal assault against her and what Namibians see every day in news headlines, where women are verbally abused and threatened, insulted and blackmailed into submission.

Women in Namibia must now lose all hope that men will protect and respect them, because if elected leaders cannot be the example of respecting women and the rules that they themselves agreed on, there is no woman that can hope that they will be protected and respected by the other half of the civilised civil society of men.

If men wonder where their support must come from if they cast their eyes to the mountains, the answer is simple. It will come from themselves and especially by protecting women of all classes and standing under any circumstance.

What is more disturbing is that the rules of the behaviours in parliament was agreed amongst all the members, but is broken by a few usual suspects in the name of an unknown revolution, but surely not the revolution that brought independence and 35 years of peace.

The crisis of democracy is for everyone to see, even through the cracks of opportunism, tribalism and factionalism and can only be healed by honesty, integrity and own conscience.

If government is based on the consent of the people, behaviours must also consent to the values of the people.

It cannot be tolerated to be eroded by populism, anarchy and chaos as Namibians are increasingly exposed to or expose themselves to.

As radical and aspirational as the new entrants into parliament might be, they should know and have learned from the national parliamentary history that the rise to any position of influence and real power demands compromises that will have to be made. It might even be to resist own party positions in the interests of the citizens who elected them and trust leadership to make a difference or to inspire change.

Anything less is an abuse of trust and a betrayal of democracy. Democracy cannot be abused to destroy democracy and its institutions like the police, courts and parliament.

Namibians voted for parties and people for a variety of reasons and trusted their vote would make a difference.

There is not a single voter of a single party that will believe that anarchy and chaos accommodate debate and tolerance.

It will be a giant step and the honourable thing to do is for members of parliament to collectively and individually apologise to the nation and the Speaker for not setting the highest standard of debate and law-making since the first session.

Democracy, Namibians, and the Speaker deserve better.It is time for the ‘honourables’ to act honourably.

To apologise even when the belief is that there is nothing to apologise for is an act of self-sacrifice and the highest honour for the common good.Hard to do, but the mark of being stronger than the rest.