Parliament passes Industrial Development Policy motion
| Tuesday August 5, 2014 12:19
The policy measures include industrial establishment rules, role of the state in industrialisation, incentives such as free or subsidised land, taxation regime, establishment grants, reserved sectors policy, as well as import substitution support programmes.
Earlier debates on the motion had seen Member of Parliament (MP) for Selebi-Phikwe, Gilson Saleshando take a swipe at Makgato-Malesu for what he called her failures in the last five years.
“Five years down the line you have failed production and I don’t agree with you,” he had said of the motion. He said government has failed to deliver in terms of its export platform, which Saleshando said is mainly cheap materials of low cost production and labour exploitation.
He said that Batswana working in various companies in the country are paid peanuts, adding that when they leave work they become destitute. Concerning industrial upgrading Saleshando said that he agreed with that part of Makgato-Malesu’s motion, but urged the minister to refrain from low cost to sophisticated production. “Reetsa, o ngwana wa sekolo like others. Mathata ke gore o gana go rutega, ke rile ke a go ruta for the past five years o paletswe, phathi ya gago yone e paletswe 50 years (Listen, you are a child in class like others now. The problem is you refuse to listen whilst I have been trying to educate you for the last five years. Just like your party in the last 50 years, you have failed,” said Saleshando to which Makgato-Malesu objected and complained to the deputy speaker of the National Assembly, Pono Moatlhodi. Makgato-Malesu complained that Saleshando was being personal and Moatlhodi warned him to stop the verbal attacks on Makgato-Malesu. Makgato-Malesu said that she had outlined potholes and therefore was wondering why Saleshando kept on undermining her.
Francistown West MP Dr Habaudi Hobona had said that the minister has to be vigilant, especially with some gaps challenging efforts to implement the policy.
Her main worry is the rate of unemployment in the country, which she said currently stands at 17 percent. “We should also be vigilant on laws that govern the public, and check on the poor service, not just to be a big white elephant,” she had said.