Where was Molokomme before this mess?

Mmegi Editor | Thursday October 30, 2014 16:18

President Ian Khama is not in favour of the secret ballot adopted by the 10th Parliament and prefers the old method of raising of hands in support or against his preferred candidate. He won elections with a reduced albeit healthy majority in Parliament but he seems suspicious of his own MPs.

It is our understanding that the mandate of the Attorney General is to advise parliamentarians on any decision they make that may be in contravention of the constitution. The question is, where was Dr Athalia Molokomme when Parliament amended the new Standing Orders, and what did she do to show them the danger they posed?

We all know that decisions of the National Assembly, be it legislation, policy or regulations are endorsed by a majority vote, something which the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) has always taken full advantage of. So, in a nutshell, it is the BDP that provided the pivotal backing that effected changes in the Standing Orders that are now the subject of the court case. The AG, who is also an MP seemed not to have a problem with the changes. What happened with the changing of the Standings Orders should be a lesson to stop ignoring what goes on in Parliament.

When opposition MPs asked why he was not attending parliamentary proceedings, they were told to back off. Now, the same ministers and BDP MPs have adopted Standing Orders that call for secret ballot for elections of several positions in the House to the chagrin of the powers that be.

Surprisingly, the same BDP is suing the Speaker, and opposition parties for the amendments they deem unconstitutional. Had he shown interest in parliamentary proceedings, Khama would perhaps have nipped what he now sees as a constitutional problem in the bud.

The running of the country has been put on indefinite standstill because our president who does not care about parliamentary proceedings only learned late in the day that Standing Orders have been amended. The case in court is nothing but a clear sign of incompetence of the highest order.

On a different note, we should bear in mind that the same president who is complaining about Standing Orders contravening the constitution, has adamantly refused to heed to calls for constitutional reforms.

                                                                  Today’s thought

                “The most dangerous irony is, people are angry with others because of their own incompetence.”

 

                                                                   - Amit Kalantri