UDC wants impeachment law

Boniface Keakabetse | Tuesday September 8, 2015 14:36

Addressing a political rally in Maun over the weekend, the Member of Parliament for Mochudi West, Gilbert Mangole, said if UDC is voted into power in 2019, it would amend the Constitution to include presidential impeachment by Parliament.

The UDC government would also amend the Constitution to empower Parliament to remove a sitting president from power for misrule. Under the UDC government, he said, presidents and top civil servants committing crimes would be removed from office.

Mangole said under the current setting, Parliament was not empowered to impeach the president, saying the presidency was therefore beyond the law. He said the law preventing the president to be taken to court had been abused under the Botswana Democratic Party government. Therefore, giving Parliament powers to impeach would solve problems created by the president’s immunity from prosection.

He said when voted into power in 2019, the UDC would prosecute the Director General of the Directorate of Intelligence and Security, Isaac Kgosi, for abuse of office and ‘living beyond his means’.

He also said after 2019, President Ian Khama would have some questions to answer pertaining to some suspicious conduct under his rule.

Francistown South legislator, Wynter Mmolotsi, critisised the government for the power crisis that has gripped the nation.

He said the statement from Khama that water shortage was due to natural disasters and beyond government control was incomprehensible and an admission of inability. Mmolotsi said when in power, the UDC would use the abundant coal reserves to produce enough electricity for the nation.

He said the award of the Morupule power project to a Chinese company, instead of a German one, caused the power woes engulfing the nation.

“They gave the tender to the Chinese company which did not have the technology to undertake the project,” Mmolotsi said.

“The Chinese company approached the same German company which had been denied the tender.”

The councillor for Chanoga/Phuduhudu, Geoffrey Sekuni, slammed government for stopping fishing at Lake Ngami and banning hunting. He said power shortage had a negative effect on the tourism sector in Maun.

The rally was held before the UDC dinner to raise funds for the erection of a tombstone of the late Botswana Movement for Democracy leader, Gomolemo Motswaledi, in Serowe on Independence Day.