Moatlhodi makes hay while the sun shines
Gothataone Moeng | Thursday April 17, 2014 15:12
The Member of Parliament for Tonota Constituency Pono Moatlhodi never thought in his entire life that he could find a second political home. After being in the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) for 39 years, Moatlhodi finally joined Botswana National Front (BNF) this week.
As Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Moatlhodi is effusive and given to sermon-like debates. “Morena, wa me, in whom I am so well-pleased” is one of the quotes he loves when addressing his senior Dr Margaret Nasha, while to his fellow MPs, he likes to instruct “Migrate to your seat!” to those who have strayed from their rightful places. Below are qoutations many will remember from his time at BDP when he was debating issues in parliament.
Responding to the Youth Wage Subsidy motion by then opposition MP Botsalo Ntuane, 7th July 2011
“The issue you have just alluded to, how do you reconcile it with the fact that many young people in the form of graduates have been assimilated into many government departments? Government has gone completely out of the way and assimilated them into its system in the form of internship programme. How do you reconcile the two and the B part of the story. Would you not care to commend the government that at least it is doing something in the form of what you are saying?”
Responding to Financial Paper No.1 of 2011/2012, December 15th, 2011
“Ke gore ke maaka fela gore kana rona in accounting language, we have what we call contingencies. That means after adequate budgeting, we must provide for extra money in case we have some unexpected expenditure, re kgona to tap from our contingency. I am surprised, some of our very civil servants le fa o ba rata mo go kana, they are educated up to PHD and it appears a mammoth task to budget for ministry.”
Responding to MP Rammidi, 15th December 2011
“A itse gore fa ke bua ga ke tsenwe ganong, ke Mokhurutshe. Ke ne ke bua mafoko a ke re, Motlotlegi Rraetsho Tautona fa re na le en eke maloba ken a le Rraetsho Pheto, a re mo baoking ba ba yang go hirwa, go raya gore jaanong ba ya go godisa, ba ya go oketsa,”
“Madam speaker I did retract the word. The only problem with Honourable Rammidi is that he is having his head clouded with crossing over and over to political parties.”
Responding to Financial Paper No.2, 23rd March 2012
“I may not have a college degree, but there is not even a single book or any type of literature in this world that I can claim not to understand. I have read Shakespeare, not one book, many, many books. So, people must learn to keep quiet when I hold the floor. Motlotlegi Motsamaisa Dipuisanyo tsa Palamente, ke romilwe ke batho ba Tonota fa, ga ke a tsena ka fensetere, I know what I am doing here. I am representing the aspirations of the people of my constituency.”
Friday 23rd March 2012
“Kana ke ne ke santse ke ya kwa point ya P297,000,000 e, all of a sudden without even any movements or whatsoever of these figures have been indicated gore e dule jang kwa go P297,000,000 go ya go ema kwa go P6, 200,000. These are movements tse re tshwanetseng ra di bona pele ga re ka dumalana. Hei! I am not a yes man I need to critique this statement before I could say yes.”