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Parliament is not holding me to account – Ombudsman

Ombudsman John Walters has claimed that parliament has been reneging on its duties by failing to hold him to account on the monies defrayed to his office by the state.

Walters made this revelation in a revealing exclusive interview with Eagle FM.

“I would say parliament can do much better. At the very moment they are doing nothing with regards to the accountability of the Ombudsman. My accountability is in my annual report. I am 15 years now as Ombudsman and I have filed 14 reports.

Not a single day was I called to account. Where parliament called me and said what you did with the money. Why did you make such a recommendation? How can we help you to enforce your recommendations?

“I have said it on previous occasions, parliament is the final enforcement power of the Ombudsman. I hope this conversation we are having that members of parliament will really take (it seriously). I really put it in my annual reports. You should hold me accountable,” he said.

Walters said he had the plight of suffering Namibians at heart although he could not do much but simply remind government to commit to its domestic and international obligations.

“I am sad to see our people live in such deplorable conditions and all I can do, I can point it to government that you are not complying with your duties, your obligations and I point it out in my annual reports. I am accountable to parliament and I account on what I am doing,” said the Ombudsman.

Walters, who said his office was open to the public, refuted claims that his recommendations to parliament were persuasive and that he was a “parked bus”.

“The Ombudsman can only make recommendations. That is how far I can go. The Ombudsman’s recommendations must be persuasive. The only way I can persuade somebody to follow my recommendations is by taking them to court,” he said.

Meanwhile, Walters has applauded the coming back of Operation Kalahari Desert Phase 2, saying it will go a long way to deal with the rising trends in robberies and break-ins.

“When they (police) are visible on the ground then again complain but maybe we have reason to complain about. I would love for our police to be more tolerant. The stories which I heard, the language they used, they even violated people’s rights to movement. And besides that, searching a person without his consent, that is a criminal offense,” he said.

Pressed on whether he had received complaints from victims of the first phase of the operation, the Ombudsman said they did not receive any.

While his office does assist people who come forward with complaints, he said they can only advise them to go to court. “I wish I had the power and money to approach the court tomorrow that the police should not violate a person’s right. But what if they assault a person, then that person has alright to file a criminal charge, I cannot complain on his behalf

Kelvin Chiringa

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