The Constitution in the Twenty-First Century: Perspectives on the Context and Future of Namibia's Supreme Law

The Constitution in the Twenty-First Century: Perspectives on the Context and Future of Namibia's Supreme Law

Namibia’s Constitution is a remarkable achievement. It was put together by 72 elected members of the Constituent Assembly in just 80 days in late 1989 and early 1990. Many of these Assembly members had been sworn enemies up until the Namibian transition process got underway in April 1989 under the auspices of the United Nations. The Constitution that emerged from this process has been widely hailed as being one of the most progressive in the world. Since Namibia’s independence on March 21 1990, the supreme law has served the country well. Controversies have arisen, not least over the land issue and the death penalty, and several amendments have been made – but overall, the Constitution has stood the test of time over Namibia’s first two decades as a sovereign nation. The Constitution in the 21st Century: Perspectives on the Context and Future of Namibia’s Supreme Law provides an accessible overview of how the Constitution was formed and analyses how its Bill of Rights has been applied. In addition, the prospects for the Constitution are assessed in a series of interviews with young Namibian leaders. Interspersed throughout are the comments of ten of the lawmakers who served in the Constituent Assembly on the challenges they faced, the most important features of the Constitution, and how the supreme law might fare in the future. This volume can serve as a civic education handbook on the Constitution and for this purpose discussion pointers and exercises are included throughout. It is hoped that The Constitution in the 21st Century can play an important role in making sure that more Namibians can take pride in their supreme law and most importantly express and live out its fundamental values and principles. ISBN: 978-99945-72-38-0

Namibia Institute for Democracy, Institute for Public Policy Research

http://www.nid.org.na/images/pdf/democracy/The_Constitution_in_the_21st_century.pdf

Namibia Institute for Democracy (NID) and the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR)

2011

© Namibia Institute for Democracy & Institute for Public Policy Research, 2011

PDF

English