Stegling was speaking at the launch of the BCP president and parliamentary candidate for Lobatse, Otlaadisa Koosaletse, in Lobatse on Sunday.
Stegling told BCP supporters that if the law really applied to everyone, as the public is led to believe, President Festus Mogae would have suspended all the members of the cabinet whom evidence placed before the Lesetedi Land Commission links to unprocedural land allocation. Stegling said Mogae’s failure to suspend the ministers proves that some people in the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) government are above the law. He added that in the BDP government, the law oppresses some people, while others are free to abuse power and the country’s resources.
He criticised the government, saying it has failed to provide education opportunities for all secondary school leavers. He said out of every 10 senior secondary school leavers, only four are accepted at the University of Botswana (UB). He added that those who do not make it to university add on to the high numbers of unemployed Batswana, which is another failure of the BDP government. He alleged that the UB is failing to prepare graduates for the work force. He said the years spent at the university are a total waste in that UB graduates have to be trained all over again. He added that self-reliance and sustainability would not be accomplished under the BDP government.
Stegling criticised the government’s initiative to encourage citizen entrepreneurship, through Citizen Empowerment Development Agency (CEDA), saying it was not helping Batswana. He said many Batswana are not able to utilise the schemes offered by CEDA, because of the long process. He said the forms that have to be filled are written in English, which is confusing to the average Motswana. He urged the people of Lobatse to vote for the BCP in the elections if they want development. He criticised the Member of Parliament for Lobatse, Nehemiah Modubule of the Botswana National Front (BNF), saying that he has not done anything to improve the lives of the people. Koosaletse concurred with Stegling, saying Lobatse does not look like a town that recently celebrated 100 years in existence. Koosaletse said the condition of the roads in Lobatse was testimony that there has not been any development in the town in a long time.
“There hasn’t been any qualitative developments in the area,” he said.
He urged the people to vote for the BCP, saying that the party is committed to improving the lives of Batswana. He said if the people choose him to be their representative, he would work hard to bring investors to Lobatse and help create jobs. He said the BCP is committed to improving the lives of Batswana. Koosaletse urged BCP candidates to work hard and encourage voters to make use of the remaining eight days to register for elections.
