By Hilda Basson-Namundjebo
On 25 February 2026, I wrote in The Brief that Parliament needed Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), drawing on the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association’s benchmarks for effective legislatures.
At the time, my concern was declining legislative output and weakening oversight. Eight months later, the issue is no longer only slow performance.
It is also the deterioration of the very brand of the National Assembly. What we are witnessing is not political drama. This is institutional regression.
Understanding Brands: Functional and Emotional Propositions
The National Assembly is not a commercial product, but it is a public institution that carries a public identity, a public reputation, and a public promise.
In governance, these three elements form what is known as an institutional brand. Citizens interact with Parliament not through transactions, but through expectations.
We expect seriousness, stability, dignity, and delivery. We expect leadership. We expect national purpose.
This is why the National Assembly can and must be evaluated as a brand.
Muhtar Kent, former CEO of The Coca‑Cola Company, is widely quoted as saying: “A brand is a promise. A good brand is a promise kept.”
Put differently, it is a set of expectations that people hold about an institution, shaped by what it does and how it makes people feel. Every credible brand rests on two propositions. A functional proposition and an emotional proposition.
Parliament has both.
The Parliamentary pledge as a brand promise
Every member of the National Assembly begins their service by making a solemn pledge. They commit to uphold the Constitution, to serve the Republic faithfully, and to perform their duties with dignity and honour. This pledge is not ceremonial. It is the foundation of the institution’s brand promise.
A pledge is a declaration of intent, a public commitment to responsibility, and to service. When members take this pledge, they bind themselves to the functional and emotional propositions that define Brand National Assembly.
The Functional Promise in the Pledge
The pledge commits members to uphold the Constitution, respect the laws of the Republic, perform their duties faithfully, and protect the integrity of the institution.
These commitments align directly with the functional proposition of the National Assembly. Passing laws, conducting oversight, debating national issues with seriousness, and respecting procedure are not optional tasks.
They are constitutional obligations. They are the measurable delivery of the pledge.
When Parliament fails to pass laws, when committees stall, when oversight weakens, and when proceedings descend into disorder, the functional promise of the pledge is broken.
The institution’s brand loses credibility because its own members fail to deliver what they promised.
The Emotional Promise in the Pledge
The pledge also carries an emotional dimension. It is a commitment to dignity, honour, seriousness, and service to the people. These values form the emotional proposition of Brand National Assembly.
Citizens expect Parliament to embody stability, maturity, and national purpose. They expect leadership that inspires confidence.
The interruptions, insults, near violence, and performative outrage violate this emotional promise. They make the institution feel unserious. They erode trust and diminish national pride. They betray the dignity members pledged to uphold.
When the pledge and performance conflict
A brand collapses when its promise and its performance diverge. The National Assembly is now in that dangerous space. The pledge says one thing. The behaviour says another. The institution’s identity, reputation, and promise are being weakened from within.
This is why the theatrics matter. They are not simply moments of political drama. They are breaches of the pledge. They are violations of the brand promise members make to the Republic.
The Theatrics
Every Parliament in the world has its moments of grandstanding. However, the National Assembly has elevated theatrics to a level that undermines institutional efficiency and public confidence. The walkouts, the insults, the disregard for rules, the constant banging of the gavel and the performative outrage are not isolated incidents. They are cumulative blows to the brand.
The atmosphere of the House is shaped by every element of its environment, including sound. The Speaker’s gavel is a traditional instrument used to open proceedings, mark transitions, and restore order when absolutely necessary. In most parliamentary systems it is used sparingly, because its sharp tone can unsettle the chamber when repeated too often. A calm and orderly Assembly depends on signals that support focus and dignity. When authority is expressed through clear procedure rather than constant drumming, the House is better able to maintain a stable and respectful environment.
Leaders as brokers of hope
Leaders are brokers of hope. Citizens place their confidence in Parliament through the act of voting, and look to the House for steadiness, dignity, and progress. When Parliamentarians struggle to reach consensus, to debate with composure, or to advance legislation, the impact is not only procedural; it is emotional.
It unsettles the public. Consensus is not weakness; it is democratic maturity. Disagreement is normal; disorder is not. The conduct of Parliament shapes the national mood, and when the institution appears fractured or unsettled, citizens feel the same.
And the opposite is true also: when Parliament models calm, discipline, and seriousness of purpose, it strengthens public trust and restores a sense of collective confidence. That is the atmosphere a national legislature should aspire to create.
Brand Restoration: An urgent imperative
Brand National Assembly can still be restored. Restoration requires discipline, decorum, and a recommitment to the constitutional mandate. Parliament is not a stage for performance. It is the engine room of democracy. Namibia deserves a legislature that legislates, debates, and leads with dignity.
The regression of the past few years must be confronted honestly. The theatrics must give way to seriousness. The insults must give way to debate. The walkouts must give way to responsibility. The institution must remember that its duty is not to perform, but to serve.
Brand National Assembly is a national asset. It must be protected, strengthened, and restored for the sake of our democracy and for the hope citizens place in those they elect.
* Hilda is a business leader, public speaker and a seasoned broadcast journalist. Founder of the national brand and organisation Team Namibia, Hilda believes her purpose is to impact the world with kindness, one engagement at a time
