28 Feb 2018

 Members of Parliament have called for increase of Parliament budget to enable the law-making body to discharge its mandate effectively.

Legislators expressed this when debating Parliament’s 2018/2019 budget proposals presented for consideration, before Parliamentary committee of supply, by Minister for Presidential Affairs and Public Administration, Mr Eric Molale on February 27.

Contributing to the debate, Mahalapye East MP, Ms Botlogile Tshireletso decried lack of gender equality in Parliament and called for a Mixed Proportional Representation and First Past the Post systems to achieve gender parity.
Selebi-Phikwe West MP, Mr Dithapelo Keorapetse, said he was worried that parliamentary oversight was diminishing.

To address this, he said, more needed to be done to ensure that Parliament provided effective oversight over executive, including parliamentary oversight of the defence and security.

Although National Assembly speaker, Ms Gladys Kokorwe’s recently embarked on an initiative of taking Parliament to the people, Mr Keorapetse said the better way of taking Parliament to the people was through live broadcast on television and radio.

To enhance Parliamentary oversight on the executive, to enhance Parliamentary participation on the budget and to assist MPs, the Selebi Phikwe West MP said it was also important to have a Parliament budget office ‘staffed with independent experts to advice MPs on fiscal and revenue matters.

Also, contributing to the debate, Gaborone Bonnington South MP and also Alliance for Progressives leader, Mr Ndaba Gaolathe said Botswana was terribly under investing in the legislative branch and this would cost government an opportunity to put the country in the economic and social status sphere that it deserved.

“When you look at any legislative branch or system, it needs, at the most basic levels, to have its own capacity and capabilities to evaluate issues of budgetary and financial appropriation,” said Mr Gaolathe.

“I have never seen this in any part of the world, where an entire government with billions of Pula at stake, does not have the basic criteria or templates on the basis of which to make decisions.
All budget decisions within this committee are based purely on sentiments,” he added.

This, he said would cost the country dearly, if basic prerequisites and processes for evaluating and accessing budgetary appropriation were not established.

Therefore, to address this, Mr Gaolathe said a Parliamentary budget office should be set up.

Palapye MP, Mr Moiseraele Goya expressed concern that only a few Parliamentary committees were effectively carrying out their mandate, which he said was important as it provided oversight function of government.

Only six Parliamentary portfolio committees, out of 14, produced their reports, Mr Goya said, adding that ‘something needs to be done to ensure that Parliamentary committees are effective and they do what they are supposed to be doing’.

He commended National Assembly speaker’s taking Parliament to the people initiative, saying it was a welcome development as it cascaded information to Batswana about the role of Parliament.

Leader of Opposition and also Gaborone Bonnington North MP, Mr Duma Boko and Ramotswa MP, Mr Samuel Rantuana shared the sentiments that Parliament budget was not enough and called for the increase of the budget, for the law-making body to be able to fulfil its intended mandate.

Mr Boko stressed that the amount should be multiplied by four, for Parliament to be able to discharge its mandate effectively.

Kanye North MP, Mr Patrick Ralotsia, decried lack of adequate security at Parliament.

Mr Ralotsia also expressed concern that due to low Parliament budget, some Parliamentary portfolio and oversight committees were unable to perform their roles adequately.

To fight corruption, he said that before assuming positions of leadership, officers should be obliged to declare their assets.

Although Botswana was rated as a least corrupt country in Africa, he said it was apparent that there was an increase of corruption in the country.

Francistown South MP, Mr Wynter Mmolotsi called for Parliament, as a supreme body, to be independent from the executive.

This, he said would ensure that as MPs they were taken seriously and also afford Parliament the respect and dignity it deserves, just like the executive and the judiciary.  ENDS