IPC backs longer Parliament sittings … as NDP pushes back

Auleria Wakudumo

Members of Parliament are divided over calls to extend Parliament’s working hours to address the growing backlog of bills, with the Independent Patriots for Change (IPC) supporting the proposal while the National Democratic Party (NDP) dismisses it.

The debate follows calls by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), which recently proposed that Parliament should increase its sitting hours and days to improve the pace at which legislation is processed.

IPC’s Imms Nashinge told New Era that the party has long supported extending Parliament’s sitting days, revealing that it tabled a similar motion in the National Assembly towards the end of last year.

Nashinge said IPC proposed that the National Assembly should sit from Monday to Friday instead of its current schedule, but the motion was rejected by the Swapo Party.