04 Feb 2016

Members of Parliament (MPs) on Wednesday gave varying responses as they begun deliberating on the budget speech delivered on Monday by the Minister of Finance and Development Planning, Mr Kenneth Mathambo.

The budget received praise from some sections of Parliament while others were critical of what they felt was a presentation bereft of ideas of addressing the country’s social and economic needs.
Leader of Opposition Mr Duma Boko said he appreciated that the 2016 budget speech addressed the issues of inclusive growth, productivity, competitiveness, youth unemployment, poverty, inequality and other imperatives.

Mr Boko, who is also the leader of the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC), however regretted that the speech offered no resolution of these issues, as it was not about budget allocations much as it was about the state of the nation.

“It is about what are viewed to be priority areas for expenditure and key areas for intervention to revive the economy and give hope to the hundreds of thousands of young people who are without jobs and businesses that do not understand what government requires of them when the policy stance is so against them,” he said.

He noted that the greatest threat to the country’s economy was not foreign competition but the absence of tangible domestic opportunities. Mr Boko said given the world’s increasingly volatile economy the country must now plot a course through an unfamiliar environment where experience was no longer key to the future and where familiar goal posts no longer mattered.
On allocation of resources, he said it was important to set up priority areas and advocate for initiatives that redefine the landscape.

“This is important for the business community and indeed the nation, to get matchless clarity on the policy stance and fresh direction we are offering the country and its people,” he added.
Maun East Member of Parliament, Mr Kostantinos Markus praised the minister for presenting a balanced budget, saying it would aid in furthering the country’s development trajectory.

He said the government’s Economic Stimulus Programme (ESP) would assist in covering the backlog of developmental programmes which were deferred due to the economic downturn of recent years.

Furthermore, Mr Markus advised the government to pursue the use of solar power in addressing the country’s energy challenges. “The lack of sufficient electricity supply is a major challenge that needs to be addressed.   You find that there are some areas where the government has done a tremendous job in providing fibre network, but this has proved to be in vain because of the lack of electricity, and a solution to this needs to be found,” Mr Markus said.

He said the Foot and Mouth Disease as well as drought were major challenges in Ngamiland as well as other parts of the country. Gaborone North MP, Mr Haskings Nkaigwa said the budget speech did not address some of the challenges faced by urban dwellers such as the lack of proper sanitation, storm water drainage systems as well as poor street lighting.

Mr Nkaigwa said local authorities need to be empowered with council chairpersons and mayors given executive powers. He added that councils should be given the autonomy to function without the interference of the central government.

“Local councils should be given the power to make decisions on their own development as they are closer to the communities they serve.  They could pursue public, private partnerships, but we need to have the right regulatory framework that empowers local authorities to pursue these,” he said.

Maun West MP, Mr Tawana Moremi said the ownership of the Moremi Game Reserve remains a contentious issue.   He urged the government to heed the call of the Batawana community who insist that there was historical documentation that backs their claim to ownership of the reserve.

He also decried poor planning in the provision of water countrywide, saying the government had not abided by its own National Water Master Plan of 1991. “The current water crisis is due to lack of implementation of the master plan.  

If the government had addressed the water situation at a time when the country’s finances were in good standing before the economic downturn, we would not be in the situation we find ourselves in,” he said. ENDS