WUC hinders economic growth � Mzwinila
Bame Piet | Thursday February 12, 2015 13:25
Responding to a budget proposal for the Ministry of Presidential Affairs and Public Administration (MoPAPA), Mzwinila said despite its proximity to the country’s third largest dam, Mmadinare village is not spared from thirst and pipes go for several days without water.
“This then means that backyard gardens around the area are not going to survive. We need to rethink our move from Department of Water Affairs to Water Utilities, because the latter is more concerned with profit than service to the people,” Mzwinila said.
He said that poverty eradication programmes such as backyard gardening would never succeed until water services are placed under the Department of Water Affairs. He also requested that Foot and Mouth be covered under the Disaster Management Fund, as it impoverishes cattle farmers.
The MP also noted that the proposed Agro Processing and Packaging plant for Selebi Phikwe is going to fail because there will be no agricultural products for it to operate.
Mzwinila made a stunning request that the Directorate of Intelligence Services (DIS) should be given the mandate to protect VIPs including MPs. He said the current arrangement of uniformed police guarding Parliament is not in conformity with international practice.
Also in response to the budget proposals from MoPAPA, the MP for Gaborone Central, Phenyo Butale came guns blazing accusing the ruling party of settling for governance standards, lack of accountability. The Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) legislator called the National Assembly a ‘Zombie Parliament’ that has no teeth. This terminology however did not go down well with the Deputy Speaker Kagiso Molatlhegi who ordered Butale to withdraw the comment, which he did, albeit reluctantly.
Butale said that there is need for a comprehensive reform of the public service, including the security sector.
“DIS should be accountable, and the government should clearly define its mandate. It is irresponsible for Parliament to continue dolling out money into DIS when it is not accountable to anybody,” said Butale.
He said that the current arrangement where the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crimes (DCEC) is placed under the Office of the President is skewed, since the organisation might find it difficult to investigate their superiors if such need arises.
A former employee of government’s media department, Butale noted that Botswana Television had potential to play a role in reducing poverty among young Batswana, but because of lack of creativity by those heading it, the station pumps millions in procurement of foreign programmes that have no relevance to Batswana.
The controversial backyard gardening initiative by President Ian Khama did not escape Butale raging fire.
“Who came up with this thing, they didn’t know that we are desert? This is intellectual bankruptcy!” he said. The legislator argued that the people needed to be capacitated to follow their aspirations and projects, and not backyard gardens.