BDP national council endorses decentralisation

Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Monday August 1, 2022 06:00

A statement from the BDP read that if implemented, decentralisation would go a long way in affording Batswana easier access to services and shorter travel distances to service centres PIC: KENNEDY RAMOKONE

The decentralisation exercise garnered strong support from all the party members, as the national council further upheld that, “land within such district should not bear names that confer or intimate ethnicity in their naming, administration as a way of buttressing national unity, and that the same should be extended to existing districts".

Politicians and civil society have repeatedly hailed decentralisation as a participatory means to development and an enabler of good governance and democracy. The party also presented this resolution at the presidential constitutional review last Thursday.

There is consensus that upgrading sub-districts into fully-fledged districts would enhance service delivery and empower local governments through devolution.

A statement from the BDP read that if implemented, decentralisation would go a long way in affording Batswana easier access to services and shorter travel distances to service centres.

“The BDP strongly argues that decentralisation will not only improve access to social services and other community activities, but further contribute immensely to the economic development, health, and quality of life of rural communities as residents will access services effortlessly.

Through decentralisation, Batswana will continue to be empowered to fully participate in planning, implementing, and managing their own development processes,” said the chairperson of the BDP’s communications and International relations sub-committee, Kagelelo Kentse.

He added that the BDP believes that the principal role of any government – central or local – is to be transformational, improving the well-being of citizens, and empowering them to participate fully in their development.

“We take pride in delivering social services as far as Bokspits, Charleshill, Kasane, Mmaphashalala, Oodi, Letlhakeng, Masunga, Gumare, Mogobane, Mabutsane, or anywhere across the length and breadth of our beautiful country. We are a party that cherishes democracy, unity, peace, development, and inclusion,” Kentse said. However, the national council's resolution is widely viewed as a strategic move by the BDP to dismantle the Central District and end former president Ian Khama’s hegemony.

Widely known as GaMmangwato, the Central District is the largest in Botswana, covering close to one-third of the country. It is the traditional homeland of Bangwato. The Serowe Administrative Authority, Khama’s powerbase, lords over the whole of the Central District and supersedes all other minority sub-districts like Bobonong, Letlhakane, Mahalapye, Tutume, Tonota, and Palapye. After leaving the BDP, the former president devoted his energies to toppling the ruling party and pinned his hopes on an unlikely alliance with the Umbrella for Democratic Change.

It was through his influence in GaMmangwato that Khama was able to garner the opposition a collective 15 parliamentary seats and snatch traditional BDP strongholds in the Central District. It is through this hegemony, pundits believe, that the BDP wants to break through decentralisation and a comprehensive constitutional review.

Still, on the matter, the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development also proposed a national decentralisation policy that seeks to improve the coordination of service delivery by giving councils more autonomy.

President Masisi introduced the Economic Recovery and Transformation Plan (ERTP) to reinvigorate the economy post-COVID-19.

He also launched the Reset Agenda to reform the public service and align the government machinery to the presidential agenda, which involved reforming the public service to enable it to deliver on the BDP’s 2019 manifesto promises. At the national council, Masisi reminded his party: “The BDP-led government will do everything in its power to assist Batswana to have a meaningful share in their economy. We have made strides in policy reform, land reforms, digitisation, and economic inclusion, all aimed at bringing positive impact on the livelihoods of Batswana.”