14 Feb 2013

Minister of Trade and Industry, Ms Dorcus Makgato-Malesu has described the 2013/14 budget speech as 'the people’s budget.'

Debating the budget on February 13, Ms Makgato-Malesu, also Specially Elected MP, said that was because government had introduced various programmes that Batswana were benefiting from, especially those in the rural areas.

She said most Batswana were benefiting under farming implements, livestock feeds and other programmes that government had introduced in the agricultural sector.

On education, she said government was providing school uniform and fees for children, a comprehensive feeding programme for those in the rural areas and had introduced the Back-to-School initiative, hence ‘the people’s budget.’

Thus, she commended the Minister of Finance and Development Planning, Mr Kenneth Matambo for allocating the largest share to the education and skills development ministry.

On health, the minister said government was spending close to a billion Pula on anti-retroviral drugs, something she said no other nation in the region was doing to provide its citizens with such expensive drugs.

Under poverty eradication, she said there were a lot of programmes that Batswana benefited from, which included food rations, school uniform, orphaned and vulnerable children initiatives, among others.

Overall, she commended the finance minister for the budget, saying the minister had done a good job despite difficult circumstances, not only in Botswana but also in the region and the world at large.

MP for Okavango, Mr Bagalatia Arone said government must provide an enabling environment and find potential entrepreneurs within the citizenry and assist them to start businesses that would help them sustain themselves as well as create employment.

Mr Arone said government must create transport linkages from farms to the factories via shops. “These will also create a lot of jobs for Batswana,” he said.

Furthermore, he said while there were subsidies to attend to the lower class sections of the society, government must also try to address quality issues, arguing that conditions were not conducive for some Batswana to access health services while the education system was also poor which had in turn contributed to the declining results every year.

The MP also argued that the security sector should not be given more money but government must instead endeavour to promote the agricultural and trade sectors in the country.

Notwithstanding, Mr Arone had commended civil servants in the Ngamiland and Okavango areas for serving the nation diligently despite the challenges they were faced with.

To that, he said government must strive to better lives of the civil servants in these areas by providing them accommodation as well as improve conditions of schools and health facilities.

On the other hand, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Mr Phandu Skelemani has also commended Princess Marina Hospital staff arguing that they were doing a good job under trying circumstances.

Mr Skelemani also commended the security forces also for doing a good job in providing security to Batswana.

However, he said the security forces should be provided with proper accommodation for them to execute their duties diligently, arguing that “only then can we demand that they deliver properly.”

Kgalagadi North MP, Mr Phillip Khwae requested government to provide all departments with vehicles arguing that most of the vehicles allocated to them were at the Central Transport Organisation (CTO) for repairs, something he argued delayed service delivery.

Again, Mr Khwae was worried about lack of implementation of government policies, citing the 1981 fencing policy which he said has never taken off since it was approved.

The MP also expressed concern about lack of abattoirs in Kang and Hukuntsi, saying Batswana were having it tough to sell or slaughter their cattle hence the need for government to address the issue urgently. ENDS