27 Oct 2020

Members of Ntlo ya Dikgosi on Monday debated and passed a bill seeking to amend the Constitution of Botswana to safeguard voters’ interests and democracy. 

Presenting the bill,  Minister of Presidential Affairs, Governance and Public Administration, Mr Kabo Morwaeng said it proposed the insertion of a new paragraph at section 68 of the constitution to cause a vacancy in the event an MP, elected as a candidate for a political party, resigned from that political party.

“If upon his or her election to Parliament, he or she takes a deliberate decision to resign from the party under whose banner he or she became a member, he or she would cease his or her membership of Parliament,” he said.

The bill also proposes that a vacancy be declared in the event a member, having been elected as an independent candidate, joins a political party.

He said it had been found that during the five-year parliamentary term, some politicians crossed the floor hence the need to safeguard voters’ interests.

Minister Morwaeng said the bill came as a result of the adoption of former MP Gladys Kokorwe’s motion entitled, “Tenure of Office of Members of Parliament and Councillors”, which was tabled during the 7th Parliament.

Parliament, he said, approved  amendment of the constitution in 2010 which led to the drafting of Constitutional Amendment Bill No.15 of 2011.

Minister Morwaeng said the latest constitutional amendment bill had been presented to Parliament for first reading and was now beeng referred to Ntlo ya Dikgosi for further alterations as per the Constitution of Botswana.

Commenting on Minister Morwaeng’s presentation, Kgosi Jame Khumanego of Ngwaketse West said the bill was long overdue since Batswana had been worried about defections.

He said defecting to another political party after using a different party’s slogans to make promises to voters during campaigns degraded the integrity of Botswana’s celebrated democracy.

Another member, Kgosi Esau Molehele of Ghanzi East said even if the motion was long overdue, it was now the right time to implement it to safeguard voters’ interests.

He said floor crossing slowed down developments in constituencies.

Balete’s Kgosi Mosadi Seboko wanted to know what would happen to those dismissed by their political parties as they would be forced to join a new political party.

Responding, Minister Morwaeng said in case of dismissal, a politician could not be put under pressure because it would not be his/her decision to leave the party.

It would be advisable for political parties not to dismiss any MP during the five-year term, he said. Ends