13 Oct 2015

The Speaker of the National Assembly, Ms Gladys Kokorwe says more initiatives to take Parliament to people are underway.

Speaking in an interview, Ms Kokorwe said initiatives such as Botswana Speaks and Youth Parliament are underway. She added that she could not do all the initiatives at once because Parliament had many tasks to perform. The Botswana Speaks initiative is aimed at improving parliamentary efficiency by facilitating communication between Members of Parliament and citizens.

The initiative is expected to increase policy responsiveness and expand good governance through the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs).

Ms Kokorwe hailed the initiative as a step in the right direction, adding that “time has come for Parliament to go digital and paperless.”

The project is expected to be piloted in four constituencies namely, Maun West, Boteti North, Nata/Gweta and South East South. One of the objectives of the project is to enhance citizen participation and civic culture in selected constituencies.

Ms Kokorwe said the initiatives would make new technologies and traditions tp work together and also involve citizens in the decision-making process.

Through the initiative, MP’s are expected to take citizens concerns into account in order to have informed debates during Parliament sessions and committee meetings.

Ms Kokorwe also noted that the Youth Parliament was underway, adding that the initiative would empower young people as leaders of tomorrow and address issues of concern among them.

She said there was need to start a Youth Parliament to enable young people to practice and become responsible citizens. She said in other countries the initiative was progressing well and producing positive results.

Ms Kokorwe added that the forum would provide the youth with an opportunity to acquire skills such as debating, public speaking and presentation.

The Youth Parliament was launched in 2004 to give the youth a platform to participate, learn and contribute to the values of parliamentary democracy. The initiative was stopped for review purposes.  Ends