Swapo Condemns AR MPs Over Parliamentary Conduct, Rule Violations

A war of words has erupted between Swapo and the Affirmative Repositioning (AR) movement over the conduct of AR members of parliament in the National Assembly. Swapo information secretary Hilma Nikanor, in a statement issued on Thursday, accuses AR leader Job Amupanda and his movement of engaging in what she describes as "deliberate and politically motivated disruptive conduct" in the National Assembly. Nikanor says AR's conduct amounted to "brazen acts of hooliganism and anarchy", referring to recent incidents in which members of parliament (MPs) were removed from the House after allegedly disregarding parliamentary rules, including wearing jeans and using cellphones in the chamber. She says such behaviour undermines the dignity and authority of parliament. Keep up with the latest headlines on WhatsApp | LinkedIn "We call for parliamentary structures to impose appropriate sanctions against Amupanda and AR parliamentarians to ensure there is no repeat of such repugnant behaviour, " she says. However, Amupanda hit back, dismissing the allegations as "cheap, frivolous and intellectually bankrupt". Amupanda has defended AR MPs, saying they have "consistently demonstrated the ability to lead, articulate and logically participate in parliamentary debates". He says its entry into parliament marked the arrival of a new political generation determined to challenge the established order. "We certainly did not enter parliament to receive instructions from political fossils," he says. He accuses National Assembly speaker Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila of subjecting AR MPs to "harassment and abuse". The exchange has exposed growing tensions between the ruling party and AR, with parliament increasingly becoming a battleground over political conduct, authority and the rules governing MPs. While Swapo has called for discipline and respect for parliamentary procedures, AR maintains that its MPs are challenging a political system that it believes has failed to serve Namibians. Read the original article on Namibian . AllAfrica publishes around 600 reports a day from more than 90 news organizations and over 500 other institutions and individuals , representing a diversity of positions on every topic. We publish news and views ranging from vigorous opponents of governments to government publications and spokespersons. Publishers named above each report are responsible for their own content, which AllAfrica does not have the legal right to edit or correct. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica . To address comments or complaints, please Contact us . AllAfrica is a voice of, by and about Africa - aggregating, producing and distributing 600 news and information items daily from over 90 African news organizations and our own reporters to an African and global public. We operate from Cape Town, Dakar, Abuja, Johannesburg, Nairobi and Washington DC. Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox By submitting above, you agree to our privacy policy . We need to confirm your email address. To complete the process, please follow the instructions in the email we just sent you. There was a problem processing your submission. Please try again later.