29 Sep 2022

President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi has on September 29, received the Presidential Commission of inquiry Into the Review of the Constitution  report.

The commission submitted the report after about eight months of extensive consultation with Batswana around the country on their views on reviewing the Botswana Constitution.

President Masisi appointed the commission  December 17 last year following a promise he had made during his campaign for the 2019 general elections to look into a comprehensive review of the Botswana Constitution.

Receiving the report, President Masisi said the long-awaited appointment of the commission confirmed government’s commitment to constitutional reform.

The President therefore applauded the commission for playing a role in modelling the country’s democracy and the rule of law.

He also commended the commission for their patriotism in executing their mandate within the stipulated time frame and within the context of the country’s values and ethos.

“It is a great honour to applaud the entire commission on behalf of Batswana, for delicately carrying out the commission of inquiry on the constitutional review in a democratic and transparent manner,” President Masisi said.

He said the entire exercise epitomised the pillars of democracy, transparency and the rule of law that Botswana was renowned for.

The commission, he said was solely built on Botswana’s principles and values of promoting and protecting people’s rights, promoting equality, national unity and democracy as well as respect of others’ opinion which were all summed up by the Setswana idiom of ‘mafoko a kgotla a mantle otlhe.’

President Masisi said he was optimistic that the commission’s report represented the views of the entire nation and it will articulate Batswana’s appraisal of the constitution and inform on the recommended amendments during the review of the constitution.

The President further commended the commission for being the first citizens to play a meaningful role in constitutional reviewing process in an effort to align it with the citizens’ aspirations.

“One should be mindful of the fact that the majority of Batswana were not included in the drafting of the current Constitution since it was done during the colonial era hence it was only rightful for government to carry out an extensive review of the Constitution going into the country’s 60 years independence anniversary,” he said.

He said government would, upon receiving the commissions’ findings, do a comprehensive analysis which would be fully informed by the opinions or recommendations from Batswana during the consultations.

For his part, the commission chairperson, former Chief Justice, Mr Maruping Dibotelo told the President that they, during the consultation exercise, ensured that they safeguarded people’s interests, nurtured democracy and the nation’s cultural principles of consensus reckoning.

“The commission traversed all the 57 constituencies to ensure that they included all Batswana and certify that everyone’s interests are well represented in the review process,” Mr Dibotelo said.

He said the report they presented to the President, was thus a true reflection of the opinions held by the majority of Batswana regarding the current Constitution and their desires towards its improvement. BOPA