By Prof. Gerhard Tötemeyer
QUALITY governance at regional level is assured when regional government bodies are efficient, competent, responsible, duly capacitated, caring, sensitive and transparent in character, as well as responsive and comprehensive in service delivery. Quality governance is committed to progress. Term of office of a regional council will in future coincide with that of local authority councils, being five years.
For the sake of professionalism, expertise and continuity, it should seriously be considered that the governor serves without interruption the full term of office of five years. Equally important is to assign to the governor through provisions in the law, clearly stated executive power. Presently the Regional Council Act limits the governor to monitoring, advising, initiating and consulting powers. Regional councils have become well-established sub-national institutional bodies with important development tasks assigned to them.
Politically and economically they have gained in national relevance. It can be expected that over time more tasks will be assigned particularly when the decentralization policy is applied in its full consequence. I am of the opinion that regional interests are not directly and sufficiently represented in the National Assembly. The value and relevance of regional interests and knowledge should not be restricted to regional councils but should also be clearly demonstrated and applied at national level.
It is about sharing regional know-how at national level. For example, the output and impact of the decentralization policy should make a more prominent mark in the National Assembly. It is a policy of utmost relevance to national politics. It is not, as some want to believe, about competition of authority and power between central and regional level.
Regional governance strengthens governance at central level and will not undermine the unitary state of Namibia. There are many issues that frustrate regional governments and hinder progressive development as determined in NDP III and Vision 2030. Regions often feel not being taken seriously and not sufficiently attended to at central level.
Namibia’s regions are in dire need of an enabling environment, sufficient resources, and an adequate regional and development framework that is not only reflected in printing but applied in practice. Regions are faced by many development challenges which due to a lack of resources and not having taxing power cannot be adequately attended to.
To mention only a few: skewed settlement patterns, huge backlog in service infrastructure, the need to create institutions which foster linkages between urban and rural settlements, the inability to leverageprivate sector resources for development, and great spatial separations and disparities (e.g. north-south) within and among regions.
In NDP III, the government is reminded that before the delegation of certain central government functions to regional councils can be done effectively, line ministries must be organised on a regional basis and must produce clear comprehensive and co-ordinated plans for the delegation of functions to regional councils – and not deconcentration.
Although a revised Decentralization Development Plan has been devised as far back as 2004, NPD III states that the decentralization process “is moving at a slow pace, resulting in frustrations at regional level.” Vision 2030 equally observes that there is slow adoption of decentralization, lack of intersector planning and co-ordination between Ministries and stakeholders, and low levels of public participation in decision-making on key issues.
The conclusion is that all these factors threaten good governance in Namibia. Redress is urgently needed. For example, more sharing of knowledge between the regions and national government and vice versa. Too much time lapses between communication and action.
Misunderstandings and misconceptions delay actions. Fundamental questions are consequently: How can regions have a stronger impact on regional policy making at central level? What checks and balances do regions have on national governance? How can regional issues be given more relevance during the debates in the National Assembly?
How best can a direct discourse on matters dealing with regional matters be practised at national level? My contention is that a directdialogue between regional knowledge and national interest can best be practised in a national body such as the National Assembly. The recommendation therefore is to have regions directly represented in the National Assembly.
The National Assembly is the place where important legal decisions are taken and converted into policy. And it is at this level, the law making level, where regional representatives should be directly involved. They could make a valuable input during the debates in the National Assembly and in the different standing committees while also being in direct contact with line ministries. I am of the opinion that regional interests should be directly represented in the National Assembly.
My proposal would be to enlarge the National Assembly by 26 members, two each of each region, directly elected by the eligible voters of the respective regions on the same day when the National Assembly members are elected. A mixed electoral system should then be applied, the larger part (72 members) still being elected according to the party list system and 26 according to the winner-takes-all system.
The two regional representatives should occupy offices at the respective regional headquarter and closely co-operate with the governor and the regional council. The result would be manifold: direct regional representation in the National Assembly;
• direct interplay between regional and national interests;
• effective knowledge exchange;
• a more effective standing committee system in the National Assembly;
• greater task assignment to standing committees with shorter periods of parliamentary sessions as standing committees will play a greater role in drafting bills;
• Ministers and Deputy Ministers thus having more time to spend their energy and wisdom in ministerial offices; and
• a lack of a quorum in the National Assembly is less likely to occur. Finally, of particular relevance is the relationship between regional councils and local authorities. Regional councils should be tasked with greater responsibility towards the development of local authorities.
They should be instrumental in overseeing an integrated development plan serving the interests of both the regional councils and local authority councils. How can regional councils assist local authorities to overcome shortcomings and lack of resources despite their own present limits?
Most local authorities cannot afford the employment of professional and technical expertise such as town planners, architects, surveyors, accountants, and auditors. Equally they can often not afford material commodities like heavy machinery (e.g. graders) and related equipment. As an integral part of the decentralization policy regional authorities should be provided with such expertise and material utilities.
They should be domiciled at regional headquarters. Regional councils then make them temporarily and at a certain cost available to local authorities, thereby contributing to the development of such local entities (e.g. villages and towns) which in the end will benefit the region as a whole. This process can be referred to as sub-decentralization, first decentralization from central to regional level and from there downwards to local authority and settlement level.
Regional councils should be capacitated by the central government to such an extent that they can provide distributive services and assistance to local authorities. Such approach would substantially contribute to an integrative and cross-fertilization process, strengthening the developmental and capacitating role of regional councils.
Thus, regional councils take on the task to assist local authorities in such a way that they provide services to the population efficiently and effectively while also helping them to develop and manage local resources responsibly and sustainably. This is of utmost importance in the total development of a region.
