Arone wants the national broadcast to read news in other local languages
Lerato Maleke | Tuesday December 9, 2014 16:06
The motion tabled by Okavango MP Bagalatia Arone requests government to introduce multilingual news broadcasting in all languages with developed orthographies.
When presenting the motion, Arone said he was aware the BDP had continuously opposed the “noble motion without knowing the dangers they are creating for this republic”, and went on to challenge MPs from across the political divide to back the motion.
“I want to challenge the Kalangas, Bakgalagadi, Basarwa and may others on the BDP and opposition side,” he said.
He said Botswana is a multi-tribal, multilingual country and the name referred to “all of us unless defined in the evil and barbaric manner as the current government seems to understand the situation”.
Arone argued the essence of a multi-party system was respect of the minority, something that the BDP government had failed dismally to do. He said the current constitution promoted tribalism by listing only eight major tribes to the exclusion of other tribes.
He further said Botswana’s national anthem should have long been translated into other local languages with developed orthographies.
He argued that while Section 12 of the Constitution granted freedom of expression, it would not be possible for people from tribes such as BaHerero, BaKalanga, BaHerero, BaSubiya HaMbukushu and BaKgalagadi to do so owing to the discrimination.
However, Local Government and Rural Development minister, Slumber Tsogwane, interjected during the deliberations and asked Arone to amend his motion to request government to conduct a feasibility study to determine if they should be read in all languages with developed orthographies.
This did not go down well with opposition MPs who felt Tsogwane was trying to dilute the motion. Tsogwane was eventually forced to withdraw his request.