10 Dec 2020

President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi has reaffirmed to the nation that the Constitution (amendment) Bill, 2020 (Bill No.14 of 2020) will, among other things, bring stability to political parties and enhance democracy.

The President, who contributed to the parliamentary debate on the Bill on Wednesday, said the fact that the envisaged law would compel elected legislators to consult electorate before changing political home was a step in the right direction to nurture democracy.

He noted that the unanimous endorsement of the Bill by the 4th meeting of Ntlo ya Dikgosi was a clear testimony that consultation with Batswana was properly carried out and the nation was equally included in the decision -making processes.

Further emphasising on the consultation carried out prior to the proposed amendments, President Masisi said in pursuant of the adoption of a similar motion by Parliament in 1998, the commissioned Law Reform Committee consulted 32 centres, where Batswana also endorsed the motion.

He said the Bill also aimed to protect interests of the voters and emphasised that since candidates contested on party tickets, crossing the floor would mean cheating the electorate and may also be viewed as a breach of trust.

He said the Bill had the interest of electorate at heart and would also strengthen inner-party stability since it was not based on any partisan ideology.

President Masisi indicated that it was only appropriate for legislators to relinquish their seat when floor-crossing since candidates contested on a party ticket because there was a clear indication that electorate voted for candidates based on party affiliation and manifesto.

Dr Masisi dismissed allegations that the Bill was rushed to safeguard the ruling party interests in the wake of the looming defections.

He argued that his party was founded on the spirit of freedom of association, which gave members the liberty to associate themselves with any political movement.

He, thus, said the Bill does not seek to address fears of defections within the ruling party as perceived by many members of the opposition.

He said the public should be cognisant of the fact that the Bill would have to be authorised and verified before being signed into law and further affirmed his commitment to signing the Bill as soon as it had been passed by Parliament.

President Masisi further assured the nation that government would live up to its commitment to comprehensively review the Constitution even after the passing of Constitution (amendment) Bill No.14 of 2020.

He said it was important for the proposed amendment to pass before a comprehensive review of the Constitution since the exercise would require the inner-party stability brought about by passing the Constitution amendment Bill No 14 of 2020. Ends