147839231 3569535106491260 3161231974942857989 oStatement by H.E. Dr Hage G. Geingob, President of the Republic of Namibia at the Official Opening of the 3rd Session of the 7th Parliament

09 February 2021

As is customary during this time of the year, the President officiates at the opening of the three Organs of State, namely the Executive, Legislature and Judiciary.

Last week, I opened the first session of Cabinet, today I am honoured to officially open the 3rd Session of the 7th Parliament, and tomorrow, I will open the Judicial Year for 2021. These events should not be seen as mere formalities but should be appreciated for what they symbolize – A robust, stable and effective Governance Architecture.

Honourable Speaker,

It is apt that this year, the Opening of the 3rd session of the 7th Parliament coincides with the celebration of our Constitution Day. In commemorating this historic day, I recall the first meeting of the Constituent Assembly, which took place on November 21, 1989 at Tintenpalast, which is now our Parliament.

At this momentous occasion, I stated the following:
“The people of Namibia ... have given us a mandate to hammer out and adopt in a spirit of compromise, a spirit of give and take, a constitution that will launch our country and people into nationhood. This is a trust we dare not betray...”

At the same occasion, the Founding Father of Namibia, Comrade Sam Nujoma said the following: Namibia is a huge country with a small population. Therefore, all Namibians, regardless of colour, creed or place of origin, have a place in our beautiful country. It is for us only to reach out to one another and mould a new nation out of diversity.
With this in mind, today, we not only celebrate the existence of a supreme law in our country, but we celebrate our nationhood. We celebrate the fact that this sacred document was born from a spirit of compromise and unity. We celebrate that we live in a beautiful country; a country in which all Namibians, regardless of colour creed or place of origin, can live peacefully. This is what defines our nation. Our constitution is our voice, it speaks to who we are and therefore we must continue to uphold it, so as not to betray the trust of our people.

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