04 Nov 2024

President Advocate Duma Boko has vowed to serve the nation in a way that would satisfy its expectations.

He was responding to media questions during a joint press conference with former president Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi, which followed the administrative handover of government and its instruments yesterday.

Asked if he was going to retain the current senior public servants, President Boko stressed the importance of according himself time to appreciate the lay of the land.

He also emphasised the need to have an agile government that was quick to respond and one that was compassionate.

President Boko said he was still to engage with the top brass and promised to take reasonable, appropriate, respectful and ethical steps to ensure that the government machinery continued to function and serve the nation accordingly.

He added that holding people accountable would be based on full understanding of what one was doing.

Adv. Boko said having an open and transparent system enabling one to check and verify to their satisfaction was deemed accountable.

He also stressed the need to have robust oversight institutions that would address any failures and shortcomings in case anything ‘slipped’.

“I believe we will enhance what is available and do the very best in that regard,” said President Boko.

In relation to the question relating to automatic power succession and if it was not by any chance in violation of democratic principles, President Boko said the question confined him a bit as the current scenario was not in any way related to such an arrangement considering that the shifting of power was pursuant to the popular decision of the electorate.

He said automatic transfer of power only applied within a political party.

President Boko said once a credible decision was communicated based on the outcome of an election as it was the case with what recently transpired, power was vest by reason of the outcome of the election, which was a democratic undertaking.

“The people have spoken, their will must be held, enforced and be respected,” he said.

On relating with the press, President Boko said he was standing to reason that his government needed the media.

“We need a vibrant and ethical, a probing, sometimes unpleasantly, press. That press must also be enabled by an environment conducive to them doing their work effectively,” he said.

President Boko said one of the issues to debate was the freedom of information legislation that would aid the press by availing information so that they could operate from the vantage point of accurate information and not peddle fake news.

He said the press was part of the constitutionally entrenched principles of freedom being freedom of thought, of conscience and speech.

President Boko said the most important right was the right to free speech, adding that the press must be partners in shaping the landscape.

On youth participation, Adv. Boko said his government would encourage and do everything in its power to assist them, opining that somehow there had to be some form of affirmative action in favour of the youth.

“We have to respond and make the youth visible in some of these critical spaces so that others may get inspired."

On the other hand, Dr Masisi said BDP had taken the back seat among the opposition parties and would be looking for opportunities to demonstrate that its ideas would have worked better.

In thanking the media personnel, Dr Masisi said they must not underestimate their role in governance.

“The media has an extremely important attribute of democracy. When we free you, you will report things as they are as you are doing today. I urge you too, to be contributors to the strengthening and solidifying of our democracy. I look forward to my days when I am an ordinary citizen,” he said.

Dr Masisi said looking at Botswana’s credit rating and rate of inflation, among others, the fundamentals of the economy were in place.

He said the diamond sales had been below expectation, which state of affair was not unique to Botswana.

“I can confidently confirm that I speak often with those who used to be my colleagues who are diamond producers,” he said.

He said the situation had happened before and when it did happen as it was the case now, it was advisable to kick in austerity measures.

“The first time we kicked in austerity measures was in August and then the beginning of last month where you reduce spending so that you do not deplete your reserves completely and threaten the stability of the economy,” he said, allaying any fears regarding the fundamentals of the economy.

On the process of automatic succession when the term of the sitting president comes to an end, Dr Masisi was of the view that since the process was embedded in the Constitution of Botswana and such a provision was arrived at through a procedure that was acceptable and democratic, then the process would not by any chance be a violation of democracy.

Dr Masisi added that BDP would provide a vibrant and informed opposition even though they were not used to, adding that likewise UDC, as a party that was used to opposing, would equally be learning how to govern. Ends