20 Feb 2013

Members of Parliament, on Tuesday, agreed to amend Standing Order 51.7 to reduce member’s speaking time during the debates of private members motions. They are currently allocated 20 minutes in terms of the general provisions of Standing Order 51.7(a).

Presenting the draft amendment to the Standing Orders, chairperson of the Standing Orders Committee, Mr Daniel Kwelagobe said the amendment came in the wake of the member’s general assembly meeting on February 5, where members proposed and agreed that member’s speaking time be limited to 10 minutes, with the overall time for the debate of a private member’s motions on Friday being restricted to three hours.

The amendment also sought to amend provisions of Standing Order 51.8 to reduce the time allocated to the mover of a motion from one hour to 30 minutes for presentation.

The MP for Gaborone North, Mr Keletso Rakhudu proposed to amend the draft amendment by requesting that ministers be given 30 minutes to respond.

Moshupa MP, Mr Mokgweetsi Masisi also supported Mr Rakhudu’s amendment for ministers to be given 30 minutes noting that the assumption that ministers caucused and always came up with the same answers was wrong. He also said that they should not confine themselves to three hours.

Shoshong MP, Mr Phillip Makgalemele and Francistown South MP, Mr Wynter Mmolotsi rejected the amendment sought by Mr Rakhudu.

The leader of the house, Vice President, Dr Ponatshego Kedikilwe raised a concern that there was no progress on many motions and further noted that there was no need for one to be given a lot of time in debating motions.

He urged MPs to allocate reasonable time for debates so that they could be progress.  The Vice President noted that ministers like movers needed to be allocated enough time to clarify certain issues.

 In the end, MPs adopted the motion with amendments and agreed to allocate ministers 20 minutes to respond. ENDS