The trouble for me, and doubtless many others, is that I have so small an understanding of what is involved that I can be neither the one nor the other. I pick up a bit here and a bit there but still remain at a loss to understand why this enormous programme was not have been included in the recent budget? Instead, it seems that we now have one budget presented by Finance and one by the Office of President with neither the former nor the National Assembly having any oversight responsibility over the latter. But that being the case, I am also having great difficulty understanding how so many billions of pula can become so readily available without going through the normal approval processes.
At the outset the President made it clear that the ESP would be funded by tapping into the reserves. But the budget came and went and there appeared to be no word from either the National Assembly or the Bank of Botswana that either or both had agreed that the reserves should be significantly reduced. Is this possible? Or did I somehow miss out on such an important news item? But then I gathered from Mmegi’s excellent editorial of the 16th that the ESP is a three-year programme. This does make some sort of sense given that the programme is so enormous. On the other hand, it is extraordinarily bold to make a commitment to such protracted levels of expenditure without being certain about future levels of income.
