Saleshando wants vaccine rollout ASAP
Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Friday February 5, 2021 15:17
Dr Matsheka delivered the budget speech on Monday this week.
On Wednesday, when responding to the speech, Saleshando said failure to make such announcement means the economy will continue to be exposed to greater risks by the spread of the Coronavirus.
“To protect the economy from irreparable harm, we will need to have a robust strategy to halt the rampant spread of the disease. Most nations are experiencing a decline of the second wave, while Botswana is still to reach the peak of the first wave. The numbers of lost lives continues to rise on a daily basis. Recently, some of our national icons succumbed to the virus,” he said.
“Minister Matsheka had reported last year that government had spent P 2.4 billion to procure medical goods for the fight against Corona. It is reported that the country has run out of testing equipment. There is need to account for the COVID-19 related expenditure. There does not seem to be tangible preparedness of our medical facilities for the challenges we face,” Saleshando furher said.
The leader of the opposition said it is difficult to comprehend why government has been slow to announce a vaccine rollout for Botswana.
In addition, Saleshando said it is not the first time that the country faced a public health crisis fuelled by a virus, as Botswana was once hit by HIV and drugs were procured to save life’s in reasonable time.
He continued; “today we are not leaders, but slow followers who seem not to be able to appreciate the costs that come with delays to vaccinate the nation. Businesses have had to liquidate and many are unsure of their survival. Many workers are home on unpaid leave or reduced income. Unemployment is on the rise and tenants have lost the ability to meet their obligations to their landlords. Parents who could afford to pay school fees for their children in private schools have had to surrender their children to our underperforming public schools.”
On other issues, he said young artists who provided for their families have been out of business for almost a year with no income at all.
He further pointed out that small business owners have had to shut down their businesses in areas like the north west district that relied on the collapsed tourism sector.
Adding that, before the advent of Covid, a majority of Batswana led lives that were not at sync with the macro-economic measures that Botswana had become renowned for. Saleshando said the options his party, Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) is suggesting are, to urgently announce a vaccine rollout plan and set strict timelines for delivery.
He said this is critical to curb the increasing death toll and to attract the confidence of tourists.
“Set up a task force that will enable our country to conduct its own research on human viruses and manufacture our own vaccines that we will export. We manufacture and export cattle vaccines, same can be done for humans. Address the problem of corruption. Make the DCEC truly independent and insulate it against political interference. Have a transparent process of appointing Director General and protect their term of office. Set up a commission of inquiry on corruption in the public sector and forbid public servants’ participation in government tenders. Protect the credibility of Bank of Botswana against political mischief. False allegations that portrayed the central bank as a reckless custodian of the public purse should never have been condoned. There was never any P 100 billion stolen from the Bank of Botswana. Political battles were allowed to taint the image of the central bank,” he said.
He further called government to abandon all politically motivated cases and spare the nation unnecessary legal fees and risk being sued for malicious prosecution.
Other options, Saleshando suggests are for the government to convene a National Jobs Pitso to prevent a jobs bloodbath at the end of the State of Public Emergency, offer tax relief to employers who can commit to ambitious employment targets and the tax relief will be conditional on the jobs target.
He suggested Presidential jobs launch tour to companies that have high job targets to remove the barriers they face through the intervention of the highest office in the land.
He said youth entrepreneurs fund should to be set up and help expand youth businesses that have potential for greater employment creation and export.
The opposition leader said they offer loans free of interest with a repayment holiday and young artists must also be targeted for growth.
He said government must suspend the P42million refurbishment of the Office of the President.