19 Nov 2019

Government intends to conduct a comprehensive review of the constitution, says President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi.

Delivering State-of-the-Nation Address (SONA) in Gaborone on November 18, President Masisi said the review aimed at removing provisions that might be deemed discriminatory as well as strengthening functions of oversight institutions.

Dr Masisi said the envisioned review would be conducted in accordance with one of the fundamental national principles of consultation for inclusiveness.

This, the President said, showed the country’s commitment in upholding shared values of democracy, good governance, the rule of law and the respect for human rights. With regards to the adoption of Declaration of Assets and Liabilities Bill in the 11th Parliament, the President said the adoption of such bill was a commendable milestone in intensifying governments’ efforts to fight corruption.

Furthermore, Dr Masisi said adoption of the bill demonstrated government’s commitment to fulfil the international obligations in multilateral instruments such as the United Nations Convention against Corruption.

President Masisi said the establishment of the Ethics and Integrity Directorate, which would be responsible for administering the law on the Declaration of Assets and Liabilities as well as conflict of interest. The office is expected to be operational by December 2019.

Still in its quest to fight corruption, President Masisi said government has established a Corruption Court to deal solely with all forms of corruption. He said that the intention was also to enhance the disposal of the corruption cases which often took long to prosecute. The court, according to the president would be rolled out to other High Court divisions since it had been operating at only one High Court.

He said this year, the judiciary focused on the restructuring plan, to make the judiciary more relevant and responsive to emerging trends of the 21st century.

Concerning public sector reforms, President Masisi said government had embarked upon a rationalization exercise of ministerial portfolio responsibilities and functions. To this end, he said that government was considering the rationalization of government ministries to improve service delivery, eliminating any duplication and overlaps responsibilities across sectors.

He said the National Transformation Strategy which was key to of the country’s economic turnaround fortunes. In this regard, Dr Masisi said the National Transformational Task Team’s functions would be aligned to that of the National Vision 2036 Council for delivering the national objectives.ends