14 Aug 2016

Parliament debates on Thursday (August 11) extended beyond the usual time allocated for the business of the day to the early hours of the next day, Friday.

In the process of undoubtedly the longest night of the second session of the 11^th Parliament five bills namely the Electoral Amendment Bill, Ministerial Offices amendment Bill, Judicial Services amendment Bill, Specified Offices (salaries and allowances) amendment Bill and National Assembly (salaries and allowances) amendment Bill were all passed.

The debates were recurrently truncated after several MP’s had their fair share of time on the floor debating each bill as it comes. Members from the opposition aisle frequently called for a division which automatically qualified that a decision on the bill had to be put to vote thus throwing the debates further into the heat of the night. Towards the end of regulated time, Parliament business was still unfinished and Leader of the House also MP for Moshupa-Manyana Mr Mokgweetsi Masisi evoked standing order 27.1 and moved a business motion that debates proceed by a further four hours beyond midnight.

The Electoral amendment Bill seeks to improve efficiency of the electoral process through introducing electronic voting. 

The Ministerial Offices Amendment Bill seeks to increase the number of ministers from 16 to 18 and that of assistant ministers from 8 to 10. The Judicial Services, Specified Offices Amendment Bill and the National Assembly Amendment Bill seek to give effect to the three percent increase in salaries.

The entire bills passed without amendments save for the Electoral Amendment Bill which reached the final stages with noticed amendments from Francistown South MP Mr Wynter Mmolotsi. Mr Mmolotsi had requested that clause 21 sub-clause 53A (1) be substituted and replaced with the new clause “checking of voting machines and tabulators”.

Meanwhile, in the wee hours of Friday Parliament unanimously passed the Draft Botswana National Water Policy as presented by Minister of Minerals, Energy and Water Resources Mr Kitso Mokaila. The draft policy calls for the regulation of national water resources. ENDS