Democracy and floor crossing

FRANCISTOWN: On August 7 1998, the then Member of Parliament for Thamaga, moved a motion in Parliament which read as follows: 'That this Honourable House resolves that any elected Member of Parliament or any Councillor who wishes to cross the floor from one party to another should forego his seat and seek a fresh mandate from the electorate.'

Twelve years later, despite the unanimous adoption of this motion, the law banning the defection of Members of Parliament and Councillors is yet to be passed.

The vexing specter of floor-crossers is once again upon us, due to the imminent mass defection of several Botswana Democratic Party MPs associated with the Barata-Phathi faction to join the newly formed Botswana Movement for Democrac[BMD].

Editor's Comment
Inspect the voters' roll!

The recent disclosure by the IEC that 2,513 registrations have been turned down due to various irregularities should prompt all Batswana to meticulously review the voters' rolls and address concerns about rejected registrations.The disparities flagged by the IEC are troubling and emphasise the significance of rigorous voter registration processes.Out of the rejected registrations, 29 individuals were disqualified due to non-existent Omang...

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