Amupanda Challenges Petroleum Amendment Bill and Calls for Constitutional Review
Professor Job Shipululo Amupanda has publicly criticized the Petroleum (Exploration and Production) Amendment Bill, 2025, in Namibia. He argues that the bill is designed to consolidate power under the President rather than improve regulatory oversight as claimed by the government.
Why it matters
This highlights a significant political debate regarding executive power and legislative transparency in Namibia's emerging petroleum sector.
Contribution by Professor Job Shipululo Amupanda to the Petroleum (Exploration and Production) Amendment Bill, 2025 .
People of Namibia and Honourable Members,
When closely considered, the debate on this Bill takes us to the theoretical framing of cognitive dissonance. Simply put, cognitive dissonance is the discomfort one experiences when thoughts, beliefs and actions do not match. The similarity lies here: when the key assumptions of the Bill were challenged, a coordinated and uncritical defence was mounted—a defence which, in final analysis, is even far from the actual text of the Bill itself. Indeed, the actions contained in the Bill and the mounted defence are miles apart, like the knowledge gap between honorary doctorate holders and real doctorate holders.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in