How your MPs have fared
Goitsemodimo Kaelo | Monday August 30, 2021 09:48
With the live beaming of the parliamentary proceedings creating massive public interest , it has also given the MPs a wake up call to improve their game. The inquiry is dominated by the opposition MPs mainly because of the nature of their role in Parliament, which is to provide checks and balances while those in the ruling party are constrained by their party to contribute meaningfully.
MOTSAMAI MOTSAMAI (Gantsi South)
The Gantsi South legislator has been arguably the star performer during this session of Parliament. He has been very articulate and very relevant with regards to presentation of issues of national interest and of his constituency. His previous experience as a councillor has come in handy and augmented his lack of experience as an MP and maybe his education. While he often times passes jokes, he does not forget his primary role in Parliament. His constituents and his party should be proud of his performance. Its like he has been in the House for a long time, although its his debut.
ONNEETSE RAMOGAPI (Palapye)
While many people had not expected the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) legislator to make it to Parliament in the first place during the 2019 general election, Ramogapi has gone a step further and is making his presence felt during the 12th Parliament. Apart from frequenting the floor of the House with questions, the outspoken legislator has also chipped in with a number of motions which are of national interest. One such motion he brought to Parliament related to the UDC 2019 general election manifesto pledge which called on government to consider introducing the P3,000 minimum wage.
DITHAPELO KEORAPETSE (Selebi-Phikwe West)
He is the evergreen legislator. It was expected that he would continue where he left off in the previous Parliament. Ever since he made it to Parliament in 2014, the Botswana Congress Party (BCP) and UDC legislator has shown what a good law-maker he is. He has fought hard for the resuscitation of the economy of Selebi-Phikwe while also asking questions that put authorities under pressure to account. His performance has also seen him get the chairmanship of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC). The committee is charged with examining government books, the value for money of government projects, programmes and service delivery.
WYNTER MMOLOTSI (Francistown South)
The Alliance for Progressives (AP) legislator is the party’s sole representative in Parliament. This bears testimony to his hard work and the trust he has earned from his constituents who keep voting for him to represent them in Parliament no matter the colour of the party he contests elections under. Mmolotsi has continued to show that he is the type of legislator who understands the importance of research. He does not only ask questions for the benefit of his constituency but the whole nation.
DUMELANG SALESHANDO (Maun West MP and Leader of Opposition)
The Botswana Congress Party (BCP) president has done well, both in his role as the MP and Leader of Opposition (LOO) in Parliament. Saleshando does not only provide quality debates but is very articulate both on constituency and national matters. He has also managed to get the opposition bloc to work together in Parliament. He remains one of the best MPs to ever grace the National Assembly. His determination to hold the powers that be to account even earned him a week long suspension from Parliament. But he did not give up as he took the Speaker of the National Assembly to Court challenging his decision to suspend him and later won. THAPELO LETSHOLO (Kanye North)
With the ruling party MPs often times always caught between towing the party line and sticking to its principles, Letsholo has rather chosen to be a good servant of the masses. From the onset, the legislator has shown that he is one of the few ruling party MPs who know what his role in Parliament is, especially as a backbencher. As one of the standout performers, Letsholo has demonstrated maturity as he brought well researched motions to Parliament, in the process gaining admiration from members of the public. One such motion asked Parliament to resolve that the local distribution, courier and transportation of goods in Botswana be reserved for 100% citizen owned companies and that all foreign transport and courier companies be only allowed a single drop off once they arrive in Botswana. Although the motion was rejected, Letsholo argued that the transport, courier and distribution sector offers ripe opportunity for 100% citizen owned companies to explore and participate in the transport and logistics sector.
TUMISANG HEALY (Gaborone Central)
The youthful Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) legislator was just a political novice when he won the elections. No one cared much about him and what he could offer to Parliament. However, of late, the Gaborone Central MP has shown that he is not just in it to add the numbers. He has improved significantly and is a regular contributor to parliamentary debates, also chipping in with one or two motions as well. With the current BDP backbench arguably the weakest in years following the departure of Francistown West MP Ignatius Moswaane to opposition politics, Healy and Letsholo have taken over the baton and are pushing to make their mark.
TALITHA MONNAKGOTLA (Kgalagadi North)
Many people would argue how she made it into this list mainly because she is not very articulate. But when you talk about visibility, she is amongst those that make the cut. She comes across as someone who is not well knowledgeable on national issues, but she gets very consistent when it comes to advocating issues for her constituents. Although many people have criticised the kind of questions that she asks in Parliament, she has continued to ignore the critics and show that she is there on the ticket of the people.
With the winter parliament session about to end, this could be a push for other MPs who did not make the list to introspect and work even harder come the next session and earn better rankings.