24 Jun 2018

Permanent Secretary to the President Mr Carter Morupisi has emphasised the need to provide the political leadership in the districts with technical advice.

He said the political leadership depended on professional guidance from accounting officers in the district to make sound decisions when it came to development in their areas.

“The responsibility of accounting officers is to help facilitate government of the day in implementing programmes and projects. President Mokgweetsi Masisi has decided to decentralize decision making to lessen the burden,” he said when addressing districts leadership in the Northern Region in Palapye on June 22.

Those in attendance included district commissioners, tribal secretaries, and council secretaries and Mr Morupisi said they would be allowed to monitor projects and provide reports on projects undertaken in their respective districts.

“You must be in the forefront to ensure that projects are executed as expected. Seek advice where you incur challenges,” he said.

Mr Morupisi who is also the Secretary of Cabinet advised the district leadership to stay away from politics, adding that it was not his desire to receive reports that some district leaders had some political agenda.

He also advised them on the importance of record keeping for future reference and reminded them to always minute their guidance or advice.

Mr Morupisi also took the opportunity to share with them President Masisi’s roadmap emphasising the need for them to be prepared so as to adapt well to the transformation process.

He said where there was a change in leadership there was bound to be a change both in direction and approach.

He informed the leadership that President Masisi had tasked ministers to identify regulations and policies that impeded growing the economy an assignment that applied to the district leadership.

He cited the issue of change of land use saying “we ought to be flexible in that aspect but we should observe the environment.”

Regarding employment creation, he urged the leadership to improve on their ability to create employment by facilitating a good working environment for the private sector.

“Let us help them to get into the right business mode so that they can grow their businesses.”

He urged them to thrive to maintain a high standard of morality and integrity by leading by example and ensuring that their house was in order.

For his part, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Presidential Affairs, Governance and Public Administration Mr Thuso Ramodimoosi added that there were instances when the district leadership feared to give the political leadership advice.

He said this fear factor should be removed for the achievement of the government’s goal of giving Batswana a better life. ENDS