Parly launches BWSpeaks
Mompati Tlhankane | Friday July 29, 2022 15:13
BW Speaks an online platform that serves to link Members of Parliament (MPs) digitally with citizens or constituents to voice their issues and be responded to. BW Speaks is set to bring constituents together from all corners of the country into one digital space.
The aim of the platform is to leave no one behind in this democratic process.
Speaking during the launch, the vice president Slumber Tsogwane said this transformation embraces and leverages on information and communication technologies to bring Members of Parliament and their electorates closer together. Tsogwane said BWSpeaks will at the same time enable MPs to reach out and interact with their constituents in a more dynamic and effective manner.
He added that legislators will use BWSpeaks to leverage ICTs in means and ways that have never been done before in the history of our Parliament. “The key objective of BotswanaSpeaks, therefore, dovetails well with Pillar 4 of our National Vision 2036 which aspires for improved transparency, accountability and implementation and strengthened separation of powers and effective oversight in our government,” he further said.
He highlighted that BWSpeaks is enhancing the representative role of MPs whilst building a responsive Parliament and Government for improved service delivery. Tsogwane pointed out that BWSpeaks will be a catalyst for ongoing efforts particularly the SmartBots Village Connectivity project that aims to connect over 500 villages to highspeed broadband internet by 2022/23, in a phased manner.
“Through the Village Connectivity Project, the public will be able to freely connect to the internet through public Wi-Fi hotspots situated in dikgotla, schools and health facilities, thus enabling them to access government services online including platforms like Botswana Speaks”. Tsogwane said BWSpeaks is further testimony of the value they place on morero or consultations as undertaken through kgotla meetings. Speaking of kgotla meetings one of the speakers at the launch and MP for Mahalapye West David Tshere said kgotlas are beneficiaries of the SmartBots Village Connectivity initiative which will enable BW Speaks to reach the public free of charge.
Tshere said the rollout of BW Speaks couldn`t have come at the right time because BW Speaks, will go a long way benefiting more especially the youth by allowing them to contribute to discussions at both the Kgotla and Parliament. “It is more important than ever to participate in efforts to strengthen the protection and promotion of open and transparent societies where citizens can use digital spaces like BW Speaks to further enhance democratic processes while at the same time, allowing culture to prosper,” he highlighted.
Tshere indicated that the advent of the COVID19 pandemic has also changed the trajectory of communication as people knew it, disrupting the business of public forums such as the Kgotla and Parliament. “The crisis was a wake-up call, giving us new opportunities to further develop and discover digital arenas that can accommodate all spaces, including integrating the Kgotla with modern technology. As our democracy develops, we need to continuously look further than where we are and what we are accustomed to, to see if there are any new developments that can be used to strengthen democracy”. For his part the speaker of the National Assembly Phandu Skelemani said Parliament has opened its digital doors by building a digital reach to the public for their participation, to include the voice of the people in Parliament business and thereby leaving no one behind.
“Botswana Speaks will not be changing the usual Kgotla meeting but to enhance democracy in a cultural setting digitally where our Kgotla meeting deliberations will be shared in real-time to those in the comfort of their homes, offices and outside the country by the constituency Officers,” he clarified. Skelemani also encouraged constituents and the nation at large to register on the platform in numbers so that their voices can be heard. “MPS cannot wait to deliberate and assist you online meaningfully as your representatives,” he concluded.