19 Dec 2021

Breach of the sanctity of a sitting of Parliament should be shunned and not allowed to fester as it contaminates the image of the house.

Minister for Presidential Affairs, Governance and Public Administration, Mr Kabo Morwaeng said this when making a statement in Parliament on Friday.

Minister Morwaeng said the just-ended sitting of Parliament had seen an incident violating the integrity and image of Parliament on December 10 in which disrespect for the house was reflected in the use of repulsive language by some Members of Parliament.

He said even when the deputy speaker requested that the members in question withdraw their unsavoury statements; some did not and continued to hurl insults and allegations imputing improper motives on others in the house.

Mr Morwaeng said some members from the opposition at one point broke through security and entered the house uninvited, bullied and intimidated the deputy speaker.

The minister said the lawmakers in question also violated the COVID-19 protocols in the process as they stood close to the deputy speaker and officers of Parliament during the incident.

He said the turn of events had resulted in some panic, which then forced the deputy speaker to urgently appeal for security to protect him from the members in question.
Minister Morwaeng said the events were a significant breach of the sanctity of Parliament and should be condemned in the strongest possible way.

The minister stated that given the nation’s trust on the legislative assembly as an arm of government, the events of December 10 were a betrayal of the trust and peace that Batswana held dear.

Mr Morwaeng further labeled the occurrence an embarrassment and derogation of the country’s democracy, especially as Botswana was rooted in the principle of Botho, a value that all cherished deeply.

He said through Botho, MPs should disagree without fighting and should hold with high regard the institutions that were set up for good governance.

The minister said the fact that meetings of Parliament were now virtual did not mean that the standing orders were now irrelevant. He added that the security of the parliamentary buildings would be enhanced to prevent a possible repeat of the December 10 incident. ENDS