Bolstered UDC dreams of curbing President�s powers
Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Tuesday February 7, 2017 15:46
According to the executive summary of the party’s Social Democratic Programme, the new Government would immediately set about reviewing the Constitution with a view to guaranteeing separation of powers, thereby reducing the powers of the President. On issues of governance, the UDC - a coalition of four parties – the Botswana National Front, the Botswana Movement for Democracy, the Botswana Peoples Party and the new member, Botswana Congress Party, will entrench social, economic and cultural rights through the Constitution.
The document states that the UDC will promote the independence of the Judiciary by ensuring that it is compliant with the international bar association minimum of standards of Judicial independence. Moreover, it will entrench the independence and authority of the Judiciary by ensuring that the Independent Electoral Commission, Auditor General, Public Protector, the DCEC, and others would account to Parliament.
The UDC also promises to establish a constitutional court and introduce direct election of the President. On education, the party says it would adopt education with production and outcome-based education policy and redefine basic education from early childhood to senior secondary education.
The UDC would also introduce public-funded and compulsory basic education, early childhood to Form 5 and reduce class size to 25.
It also aims to introduce a publicly funded National Health System that will cover all medical conditions of citizens and introduce a national health insurance and adopt a policy for efficient and universal drugs provision.
On agriculture, they would promote agricultural research on food production and animal production, establish a link between agricultural production and industry and develop a comprehensive programme for control, management and eradication of animal and crop diseases.
The parties agreed to develop a land audit policy to ensure transparency in ownership/holding, develop a land tenure system for citizen empowerment, formulate a policy for expropriation of unused freehold land, with reasonable compensation and review current pricing land in urban centres.
The dream continues.