13 Nov 2019

The just ended 12th parliament orientation has been described as valuable.

Speaker of the National Assembly, Mr Phandu Skelemani said in an interview at the end of the five-day workshop,  held in Kasane under the theme: ‘Enhancing Capacity to promote Good Governance in the era of a Knowledge based Economy’, that it benefited new and old MPs equally.

He said it helped new MPs to understand their role in the global, regional and national contexts and also assisted them to understand what role they should play in the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as well as national development plans.

Mr Skelemani observed that while it seemed only the newcomers would benefit, through the questions and comments sessions, it emerged that even some old MPs needed to refresh their understanding.

He noted that at the beginning of the workshop, some MPs felt the programme could be compressed, but in the end, they realised the five days were not enough.

Apart from helping them to understand their role as MPs, the orientation provided a platform for team building and was hopeful they would work better in the next five years.

Personally, he said, the orientation helped him appreciate the different characters of the MPs which would engender productivity.

Specially Elected MP and Minister of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism, Ms Philda Kereng, thanked the organisers of the workshop saying it was an eye-opener as she now understood what was expected of her.

She said the information that she acquired from the orientation would help her build a ministry that delivered the required services through the existing programmes and policies.

Ms Kereng said transformational governance needed mindset change on how legislators perceived different issues.

On the knowledge-based economy, she said government had to support Batswana to utilise their knowledge to sustain themselves.

She said she would ensure that her ministry closed all gaps and removed all obstacles that prevented people from using skills and knowledge to develop their livelihoods.

Maun West MP, Mr Dumelang Saleshando said the orientation was important as experts in different areas helped the MPs understand their roles in the global village.

Mr Saleshando, who is the Leader of Opposition in Parliament, said through the orientation, he managed to catch up with amended rules and regulations.

He commended presentations such as that of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, key players in the economy, saying they helped the MPs better understand the economy and how government performance could be evaluated and monitored.

For his part, Gaborone North MP, Mr Mpho Balopi, who is Minister of Employment, Labour Productivity and Skills Development, said the orientation helped the MPs put aside their political differences to ensure Batswana realised their aspirations as outlined in Vision 2036.

Mr Balopi said the workshop provided an opportunity for MPs to appreciate that Botswana could not work in isolation and the need to help with the implementation of SDGs and Africa’s Agenda 2063 among others. Ends