Assets Bill moves to 2018
Bame Piet | Tuesday February 28, 2017 17:38
The Minister of Presidential Affairs, Governance and Public Administration, Eric Molale said that the Assets Bill will be given focus in Parliament next year, when presenting his budget for the 2017/2018 Financial Year.
“It is anticipated that the Declaration of Assets and Liabilities Bill will be debated in Parliament and hopefully passed into law by the end of the coming financial year,” he said.
The proposed law was first discussed in Parliament as a motion more than two decades ago and has not attracted enthusiasm from the ruling party. At some point, in 2013, then Gaborone Central Member of Parliament, Dumelang Saleshando attempted to table a private members’ bill seeking to have the law in place as a matter of urgency.
His move was defeated when then Minister of Presidential Affairs and Public Administration, now Vice President, Mokgweetsi Masisi announced that the Government would bring in a new Bill. At the time, other MPs from the ruling party described the proposed law as likely to open politicians up to public ridicule and abuse.
Molale, however, said in his presentation that the Whistle Blowing Act commenced operation during the festive season.
“It is my belief its implementation will result in members of the public coming forward to report acts of crime,” he said. He added that the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC) is currently implementing the Proceeds and Instruments of Crime Act and has resulted in three cases being taken to the courts.
“The law has tremendously proved itself to be the statute that will elevate Botswana in its fight against corruption,” he said.
Molale said that the privatisation of Botswana Telecommunications Corporation Limited and the ultimate listing on the Botswana Stock Exchange has attracted a total of 50,000 citizens and businesses to buy the company’s shares. He said that privatisation should be accelerated to create more jobs in the private sector.
“In order to facilitate this, PEEPA has completed business case assessments/cost benefit analyses of five entities to progress their privatisation. These include Air Botswana, Botswana Meat Commission, Botswana Railways, National Development Bank and Botswana Agricultural Marketing Board.
The assessments are in line with the Privatisation Master Plan II and will inform Government whether to proceed with privatisation of the entities given their current respective operational statuses,” he said.
Other initiatives include outsourcing of services such as cleaning, gardening, and security within Government offices in the Government Enclave and other parts of Gaborone.
He said that out of the 314 employees affected by the outsourcing project, 252 of them have established 21 companies and have undergone training in entrepreneurship.
Molale said that the Government has created 1,573 vacancies in the public service during the 2017-2018 financial year, adding that operations of the Bargaining Council have stalled due to opposing interpretations of the constitution regarding representation.
“In my last presentation, I had indicated that the Bill on the review of the Public Service Act would be tabled before Parliament in July 2016. However, consideration by Cabinet and further consultations with stakeholders took longer than had originally been anticipated. Consequently, it will be tabled before Parliament during the July 2017 session.”