Saleshando blasts UDC promises as recklessly ambitious
Spira Tlhankane | Monday February 17, 2025 12:59
Ahead of last year’s General Election, the ruling party pledged a living wage of P4,000 per month and increasing the old age pension to P1,800. In response to the 2025-26 budget speech on Wednesday, Saleshando said it was shocking that the UDC's maiden speech which frequently refers to integrity is deafeningly silent on a large majority of the promises made on the eve of elections. “As the BCP, we strongly believed that some of the promises were recklessly ambitious,” he told Parliament. “However, the voters believed the pledges and accorded the UDC an opportunity to deliver the promises as a ruling party.” Saleshando indicated that all these promises were made with the full knowledge of the state of the economy. “Long before the release of the UDC manifesto, the performance of our economy, the poor performance of the diamond market as well as the state of our Government Investment Account (GIA) were matters of public knowledge,” he added.
The Maun North legislator pointed out that any claim by the current government that the fiscal situation was unknown, or that it was worse than what the UDC had anticipated, is disingenuous and suggests dishonesty of the highest order. Saleshando said those who make this claim must come forth and tell them what they had expected the position of the government coffers to be by November 1, 2024, following the statement by the then Minister of Finance to Parliament on August 12, 2024. “The budget is silent on raising the minimum wage of P1,500 to a living wage of P4,000. The nation needs the Minister of Finance and the UDC government to be candid about whether our economy can sustain a minimum wage of P4,000 and to indicate when they expect to achieve this important milestone,” said Saleshando, who is also the leader of the Botswana Congress Party (BCP).
“We expected to hear tangible steps on how and when this will be realised. The budget is silent about the promised stipends of P2,500 per month for Ipelegeng volunteers and tertiary education students. Are these promises deferred or abandoned? Either way, the nation deserves to be told the truth,” he added. Saleshando said if they have a new government that is quick to make pledges that it forgets within the first 100 days in office, then it cannot be a new Botswana. Hence, he said, it will certainly qualify as the new Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) in a different colour.