10 Nov 2017

The State Of the Nation Address (SONA) delivered by the President, Lt Gen. Dr Seretse Khama Ian Khama on November 6, has elicited different views from MPs across the political divide.

In their response to the speech on Thursday, some of the MPs sang praises of the great legacy President Khama would be leaving, while others expressed disillusionment at what they termed a regression in the gains that had been made prior to his assumption of office.

Nkange MP, Mr Edwin Batshu said during President Khama’s tenure of office, there had been a sizable number of initiatives aimed at bettering the lives of Batswana from all walks of life.

Mr Batshu, who is also the Minister of Nationality, Immigration and Gender Affairs, cited the Economic Diversification Drive (EDD), the Economic Stimulus Programme (ESP), ISPAAD and LIMID as some such initiatives through which many Batswana had been assisted to turn their lives around.

He said that  the EDD had added great impetus to efforts to ensure the sustainability of locally-owned businesses, and said it was therefore imperative for those who had benefited under the programme to ensure that they improved on the quality of the goods and services that they provided.

As for the ESP, the legislator indicated that over 20 000 Batswana had gotten employed in the various projects that had so far been undertaken, further noting that the figures were bound to increase as more projects were scheduled to be embarked upon.

On public infrastructure, MP Batshu commended President Khama for the progress that he said had been made during his term.

He in particular expressed gratitude for the projects to be implemented in his constituency, among them being a 70-bed hospital in Tutume as well as a police station in Maitengwe.

He said for the President to have directed that projects of that magnitude be awarded to citizen-owned companies was a sign of visionary leadership.

He thus appealed to those who would be awarded the projects to not disappoint by delivering work of questionable standards, urging them to also ensure that they delivered them on time and within budget. 

Mr Batshu also hailed government for the Ipelegeng programme. He said though some people cast the programme in bad light, his constituents appreciated the difference it was making in their lives.

The MP also praised the P10m constituency fund saying what had been achieved through it in his constituency was immeasurable.

He said through the fund, two electricity reticulation projects were being undertaken in Dagwi and Matobo villages, and the projects were expected to have been completed by the end of next month.

Mr Batshu also applauded public officers for the role they were playing in the development of the country.

While also thanking President Khama for his successes, Francistown West MP Mr Ignatius Moswaane said it was worth noting that the president took office in the year in which Botswana, alongside the rest of the world, was hit by the economic meltdown.

Addressing the issue of mine closures, Mr Moswaane however decried the lack of proper consultation with all stakeholders prior to taking the decision to shut down the BCL and Tati Nickel mines.

He said since it was clear that the closures would affect as many as over 6 000 employees, it would only have been appropriate for consultations to have been extensive.

To mitigate the suffering of the mines’ former employees, the MP said it was essential for government to devise strategies aimed at assisting those who had lost their jobs instead of leaving their fate in the hands of the liquidator.

On another issue, Mr Moswaane implored government to consider coming up with an initiative similar to the Selebi Phikwe Economic Diversification Unit (SPEDU) in the country’ second city, saying with the bad shape of Francistown’s economy, it was critical that the city be assisted so as to guarantee its continued existence.

In the same breath, the MP also condemned the situation in which some employers fired their workers willy-nilly without any regard to due process.

He said with jobs so scarce, it was sad for some companies to be firing workers for flimsy reasons.

Mr Moswaane said the situation was exacerbated by lack of political party funding, saying some of the companies that continued to trample upon workers’ rights were the very same businesses that sponsored local political parties; a scenario that he said made it difficult for them to be brought to book whenever they disregarded labour regulations.

On yet another matter, the legislator also appealed to government to pay members of Ward and Village Development Committees a salary amounting to at least P1 500 in addition to their current allowances as a way of appreciating the role they were playing in facilitating the development of communities.

For his part, MP for Gaborone Central Dr Phenyo Butale said President Khama was leaving Botswana in a state worse off than he found the country when he took office.

He said the country’s democracy had lost the spark for which it was known. 

Dr Butale said while Botswana’s judiciary was known to be independent before the President took over, during his tenure incidences of it being compromised were growing.

He said there had also been a growing trend of government disregarding court orders.

On the legislature, the MP said the president was leaving behind a much weaker parliament, noting that during the President’s term, bills that were meant to safeguard the independence of parliament were shelved, and that parliamentary committees were dysfunctional.

On the media, he said compared to his predecessors, President Khama’s government had done much in terms of muzzling the media through among others, the enactment of regressive media laws.

Dr Butale further observed that Batswana were today not enjoying their personal freedoms, saying there was no freedom of speech and freedom of association in the country.

Additionally, he said the NGO movement and trade unions had also felt the brunt of President Khama’s rule as they had either been silenced or weakened.

Concluding his debate, Dr Butale also said the President had failed to deliver on his 5Ds. ENDS