The National Assembly has only managed to clear eight out of an expected 20 bills in the past two years.
This translates to the parliament only meeting 40% of its set target of bills within that period.
Following this poor delivery, political analysts say the laxity of parliamentarians to fully execute their duties has contributed to poor service delivery in the country.
Political analyst Henning Melber says Namibians are in dire need of service, but members of parliament are not delivering.
"The bottleneck clearly lies with the ruling party, which is in control of the National Assembly with an absolute majority," he says.
Over the last two years, the National Assembly (NA) has prioritised financial bills and has agreed to eight bills.
This is despite 20 bills being tabled.
NA gatherings were delayed for the better part of last year, and as a result failed to attend to many issues.
This year alone, 16 bills are set to be tabled in parliament, including the combating of rape amendment bill, the combating of domestic violence amendment bill, the divorce bill, the child justice bill, and the public procurement amendment bill.
However, only four bills were tabled and two were agreed to, while 10 were tabled and four passed last year.
This is despite members of parliament earlier this year agreeing that the NA has been lacking in one of its core duties, which is to pass laws to improve Namibians' lives.
TABLED MORE THAN ONCE
One of the bills which has been tabled more than once is the combating of rape amendment bill.
It was first tabled last year in February, but lapsed in July. This bill was tabled again in February this year and is yet to be approved.
It has been up for discussion in the parliament for the last few weeks.
Another bill which has been tabled numerous times but has not been agreed to is the combating of domestic violence amendment bill, which was tabled in February 2021.
The same bill was tabled again this year in the same month.
Last year the minister of justice, Yvonne Dausab, tabled and withdrew the criminal procedure amendment bill. Dausab also tabled the magistrates' court amendment bill in February 2021, which lapsed in July last year. The high court amendment bill lapsed at the same time.
One of the bills which have been tabled and lapsed a number of times is the access to information bill.
It was proposed to the parliamentary standing committee responsible for information and technology in October last year.
Despite the government's urgent need for promotion, the investment promotion and facilitation bill was withdrawn last November by the minister of finance, Iipumbu Shiimi.
The bills that were agreed to were the state finance amendment bill, the national budget, the public procurement amendment, income tax law amendment, gaming and entertainment control amendment, financial institutions and markets as well as the communication amendment bills.
In 2019 the NA passed six bills, while four lapsed.
In 2018 the house passed 10 bills, whereas one lapsed. When compared to South Africa, Namibia's NA has been struggling to pass bills.
The South African National Assembly in total passed 21 bills in 2021, which is three fewer than in 2020.
ANALYSTS
Melber says more efficiency would mean meeting more often to deal with matters to solve the challenges and seek collaboration with lawmakers of other parties.
"Lawmakers were elected with the promise to serve in the best interests of the people, which could be a common denominator.
"I think in Namibia, we are faced with a situation which is very frustrating, and does not deserve the name good governance," he says.
Political analyst Ndumba Kamwanyah says members of parliament are not addressing the issues affecting Namibians.
"I think they lack the research capacity to make sure they are in touch with our own constituencies. And this is not just for the Swapo MPs," he says.
"I think we are witnessing a decline in the depth of intellectual and analytical ability, and in the capacity of our MPs to really connect the dots of why people are voting for them," he says.
Analyst Rui Tyitende says most MPs appear to be oblivious of their primary tasks as lawmakers.
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"They are supposed to enact laws that will have a tangible impact on improving people's quality of life and their immediate living environment," he says.
He labels MPs as salary collectors, adding that some have not uttered a word, or made any substantive contributions to matters of national importance.
"However, even MPs from the opposition who have serious motions to table are stifled . . .
"How many bills have been passed over the last two years that seek to address the plight of the most vulnerable in society?" he asks.
Tyitende says the pandemic is not a good enough reason for the lack of action.
"Public health regulations have been relaxed, and the parliament has the means to deliberate virtually and keep the Namibian populace engaged on a litany of bills and motions," he says.
The analyst advises parliamentarians to keep themselves updated on current affairs.
"Ignorance can be deadly. As Tshilidzi Marwala profoundly argued, those who do not read should not lead," he says.
