Utaara Mootu is a Namibian politician, youth leader and activist.[1] She is an elected member of the Parliament of Namibia following the 2019 elections, representing the Landless People's Movement (Namibia) and serves as the party's parliamentary spokesperson.[2]
Utaara Mootu | |
|---|---|
| Member of National Assembly | |
| Assumed office 20 March 2020 | |
| President | Hage Geingob |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 19 January 1996 Namibia |
| Alma mater | University of Namibia |
Early life edit
Utaara was born in Windhoek on 19 January 1996. She began her education in 2002 at Van Rhyn Primary school in Windhoek, and then Concordia Secondary School. She then furthered her studies in Business Administration (Diploma) at the University of Namibia and continued to a Bachelor's (Honours) in Public Management majoring in Political Science and International Relations. While at the university, she obtained the best 4th year award in her Department of Political Studies and Administration in 2019.[3]
Activism and politics edit
Utaara served as a member in the Learners Representative Council in 2013 and joined various charity programs in church as a child. She also took part in the 2013 high schools battle competition where she took first place in the female's category. In 2016 she became Vice President of Aesthetics a performing arts society in university. She later joined student activism and feminist groups in 2017 through protests and poetry. In late 2017 she joined the Landless People's Movement (Namibia) spearheaded by Bernadus Swartbooi and Henny Seibeb and become an active activist joining the struggle of the people of Venezuela, genocide and a staunch advocate for land justice.[4]
She became a founding member of the Landless People's Movement transition to a political on 8 February 2019. In 2018 she served as the interim National Spokesperson for LPM being the youngest spokesperson and executive member of a political party after Independence at the age of 22. During the people's assembly in October 2018 she was elected as the official spokesperson of the party and was elected as the 4th candidate on the party's parliamentary list.[5]
A member of the Pan African Reinasance Country Chapters and Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Talent Empowerment Program, she was sworn in as one of the youngest members of the 7th Parliament of Namibia at the age of 24 on 20 March 2020.[6][7] Mootu called on the government to bring more young people into the decision-making process.[8]She also called on the government to professionalise sport in Namibia to improve the standard of athletes in the country for them to perform at the highest levels.[9]
Contribution edit
Mootu at the Namibia MPs dub genocide deal with the Germany apartheid meeting of signing the deal with German, Mootu was not willing to be part of the signatory committee as she told the prime minister that they betrayed them, she emphasized on the equal participation based on human rights policies and a chance to speak one's-mind out about the economic trauma caused by genocide.[10][11] Mootu was not happy about the age limitation set by the ministry of education of Namibia that 21 year old learners that completed their NSSC and SSOC through NAMCOL will not be allowed to attend the full-time classes anymore. Mootu opposed it as the Ministry of Education is promoting in-equality in the education system and goes against the freedom of education regardless of the age because education is the strong tool to fight poverty.[12]
References edit
- ^ "Young MPs promise radical change". The Namibian. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
- ^ "The Young Face of LPM". The Namibian. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
- ^ Staff Reporter (4 December 2019). "To be robustly head-on with corruption – LPM's Mootu". New Era Live. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
- ^ "Coronavirus Namibia: Are we ready?". The Namibian. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
- ^ "LPM releases parliamentary list". The Namibian. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
- ^ "LPM condemns alleged police and military brutality during joint operations". Namibia: NBC. 16 May 2019. Retrieved 23 January 2021.
- ^ "Landless People's Movement has condemned the recent alleged police brutality against a 15-year-old girl". www.namibianewsdigest.com. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
- ^ "LPM member Utaara Mootu believes young people are not given enough chances to discover their potential | nbc". nbcnews.na. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
- ^ Observer. "Mootu wants sports to be professionalised – WINDHOEK OBSERVER". Retrieved 27 February 2023.
- ^ "Namibia MPs dub genocide deal with Germany 'apartheid'". News24. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
- ^ "'Betrayal': Namibian opposition MPs slam Germany genocide deal". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
- ^ Observer. "Age limitation in education against human rights – WINDHOEK OBSERVER". Retrieved 28 February 2023.