Transparency cast to the shadows

| Friday April 16, 2010 00:00

It was the Budget session in which 410 questions were put before the House and 368 were answered, two deferred to a later date, while three were withdrawn.

The House passed a P30 billion budget for the financial year 2010/11 together with eight bills into law. As usual, Members of Parliament called on the government to bring development projects to their constituencies and that local contractors should get a share of major projects as a step in the direction of citizen economic empowerment. The same answer the government has used for the past decade was repeated: 'We are doing something about it.' The MPs argued that there is need for legislation on citizen economic empowerment.

It was during the meeting that government passed the controversial two percent increase on Value Added Tax (VAT) despite protests from opposition MPs and some members of the ruling party. The VAT Regulations Threshold was also raised from P250, 000 to P500,000.

The International Financial Organisations Bill, Industrial Property Bill, and the Magistrates Courts Amendment Bill were also passed. The House allowed the government to go ahead and secure loans amounting to over P10 billion from the World Bank and the African Development Bank for the expansion of Morupule Power Station, which will produce 600MW once completed in the next two years.

The House adopted two policies on the last day of its meeting, the National Trade Policy for Botswana and the Revised National Population Policy.

MotionsCabinet ministers refused a motion tabled by the MP for Gaborone Central Dumelang Saleshando in which he requested permission to draft a private member's bill to compel national leaders to declare their assets and liabilities. The motion received overwhelming support from both opposition MPs and backbenchers, but the Minister of Presidential Affairs and Public Administration, Lesego Motsumi made an announcement that her ministry was planning to bring a bill on the declaration.

The Vice-President Mompati Merafhe, commenting on the motion, revealed his true colours when he said they would not allow Saleshando to steal the limelight from the ruling party.

He stated that the ruling party would bring the bill that served their interests on their own terms. Merafhe had recently said there should be no fuss about one or two killings of civilians by government security agents. Ruling party MPs who supported Saleshando's motion were warned not to do so but to instead rally behind Motsumi, which they did. They later said they would opt to wait for the minister's bill but gave her an ultimatum that the bill should have been brought before the House by the end of this year.

Earlier, the House had rejected yet another motion by Saleshando to draft a private members bill to abolish the system of nominated councillors and Specially Elected Members of Parliament as the system was no longer serving its initial purpose but was distorting the Botswana democracy.

The same House rejected another crucial motion by Kweneng South East MP Mmoloki Raletobana requesting the government to hold in abeyance transferring the responsibility for health care from the Ministry of Local Government to the Ministry of Health pending further consultation. The motion was ruled out of order. A motion tabled by Mogoditshane MP Patrick Masimolole requesting the government to reduce the age of majority from 21 to 18 was passed without a hitch.

MPs went into recess with something to write home about when the Minister of Presidential Affairs and Public Administration submitted a draft of revised Standing Orders to give MPs powers to draft bills without first having to request permission from the House to do so. The Standing Orders are scheduled for debate and adoption during the June/July meeting of Parliament.

During the meeting, the government also demonstrated its commitment to secrecy when the Assistant Minister of Finance and Development Planning Charles Tibone refused to reveal the number of billionaires and millionaires living in Botswana on the grounds that that could lead to litigation. He was responding to a question from the MP for Lobatse Nehemiah Modubule.

Another question raised was why even MPs were not allowed access to ministers' Register of Assets and Liabilities. Motsumi simply stated that it was none of their business.

The Minister of Minerals, Energy and Water Resources (MEWR) Ponatshego Kedikilwe also confirmed the government's commitment to secrecy when he said Parliamentarians are not allowed access to agreements between the Botswana Government and DeBeers Diamond Company because there are clauses that should not be revealed to the public as that could lead to legal action.