Uerikua left too soon, says fellow MP

By:Maria Namupala 

Swapo parliamentarian Willem Amutenya said the late James Unomasa Uerikua, left too soon for his family and  parliament. Amutenya said Uerikua also departed too soon for Swapo Party, and the  generation that looked forward to the depth and quality of debates he was destined to lead. 

Uerikua lost his life on Friday in a car accident between Okakarara and Otjiwarongo.

The accident also claimed the life of Uerikua’s 14-year-old son.

Amutenya said Uerikua was committed to building a stronger August House, one that reflects the aspirations of both the current generation and those yet to come.

Amutenya, who was attending the Newspaper Cup in Keetmanshoop when the news broke, described the moment  etched in pain and disbelief.

“Just yesterday(Thursday), we shared the floor in Parliament, unknowingly witnessing your final contribution in the August House. Those moments now replay with a heavy heart, as we come to terms with the loss of a comrade, a leader, and a remarkable human being,” said Amutenya.

He described Uerikua as a young man, always youthful in spirit, juvenile in the most admirable sense,  vibrant, full of life, and unapologetically present.

Amutenya added Uerikua  was articulate, sharp, and intellectually fearless and his political provocations were never for noise, but to sharpen debate, to challenge thought, and to push them all in the August House to be better.

In his moving tribute Amutenya shared how Uerikua pushed him to read deeper, to revisit the dictionary, and to enrich his vocabulary, so he could stand firmer in the arena of ideas and wisdom.

“​Your presence was never silent, it arrived with jokes and laughter, with perfectly timed humour that could disarm tension and remind us that even in the seriousness of governance and stressful political affairs, we are still human, you carried light into heavy spaces my brother. ,” Amutenya added.

​Uerikua was the Chairperson of the Standing Committee on International Relations, Defence, and Security.