Parliamentary Budget Office is needed now

There are concerns about the budgetary role of Botswana Parliament. Does Parliament have any real fiscal power? Is it able to adequately and effectively provide democratic oversight of the budget in terms of proper mechanisms of control of expenditure and revenue of public funds?

Is Botswana Parliament active in budgetary matters? These are fundamental questions which when frankly answered can provide an idea of what obtains in Botswana in respect of the budget and oversight. The legislative authority of Botswana vests in Parliament which primary role is to enact, reform and repeal laws governing the nation. Budget is a law, Appropriation Act.  Parliament supposedly wields what is commonly referred to as the power of the purse in the Westminster system.   Botswana’s economy is run primarily by the bureaucratic economic high command at the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning. These bureaucratic elites, assisted somewhat by a few political elites in the Presidency, have, by and large, determined the country’s economic trajectory since independence in terms of formulation of National Development Plans and determination of annual budgets to finance the plans. Politicians have for many years had no influence in socio-economic development matters. The elites at the economic high command were insulated from political and other influence. The genesis of the phenomenon of a powerless Parliament on budgetary matters can be found in the situation described above. What exacerbated the problem was the level of understanding or appreciation of budget matters by early Parliaments. Contemporary Botswana Parliaments are however different.

When one uses profound yardsticks of democracy, Botswana Parliament is less independent and powerless, has low information needs and low internal structures and it approves almost everything decided by the executive or the ruling party caucus. In other words it is a rubber tamp legislature. This is because the ruling party has been in power for long and has numerical strength in the house, including the abnormality of a high percentage of the executive in the legislature and the majority of executive members, relative to the backbench, in the ruling party caucus. It is therefore imperative for Parliament to be independent of the executive, particularly the Office of the President. It is important that it becomes powerful, has high information needs and complex internal structures. In this way, it would be able to provide effective oversight including oversight of the budget.  More critically, Parliament should have a budget office. This is generally a consensus of most African countries which are democratic if one considers for instance resolutions taken by Southern African Development Community Organisation of Public Accounts Committees (SADCOPAC). The organisation recognises the importance of the office for purposes of enhancing transparency, accountability and efficiency and effectiveness.

Editor's Comment
Congratulations Anicia Gaothuse!

The contest had 10 beautiful young girls as finalists and unfortunately only one could wear the crown.The judges picked Anicia Gaothuse. To all those who feel their contestant should have won ahead of Anicia for whatever reason, hardly; the judges found Anicia to be the best among the best, so desist from disrespecting our newly crowned queen on social media or anywhere else, for that matter! Each of the 10 beautiful young women had supporters...

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