Constituency funds a headache for leaders
Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Friday March 17, 2017 16:58
Some MPs say there are no proper guidelines on how the constituency fund should be used or divided amongst the wards. The MPs’ concern is that the money is going to divide people in the community because of their different needs.
Each constituency will be given P10 million in the next financial year for projects and councils will coordinate it. “In my constituency, consultations on how we are going to divide the money per ward on developments that they had proposed has failed. This is because other wards have serious needs than others. While some already complain that council favours other wards than theirs, this is so because council secretaries are failing to involve MPs,” Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) chief whip Liakat Kablay said.
Kablay said his constituents have rejected the guideline set by the council and the Village Development Committee (VDC) is not comfortable with the guidelines. “The MPs should be briefed on how this money is supposed to be used because they are the ones who can advise constituents. At the villages people have suggested major projects while we understand the money is for minor ones.”
The chief whip said people in his area want to build houses for teachers and nurses to address their accommodation problem while Economic Stimulus Programme (ESP) is suppose to do that. He said the minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Slumber Tsogwane should task one of his assistants to address issues regarding the use, complaints and education on this money.
Mogoditshane MP Sedirwa Kgoroba also decried that Mogoditshane sub council is not inviting him to meetings where they are consulting the residents of his area about the said money. Senior assistant council secretary for Mogoditshane/Thamaga sub district Milton Keitshokile said they had tried to involve all stakeholders in the area.
“If indeed the MP did not receive his invitation, it was an omission on our part. I had even gone to the MP’s office to inform him about some of the projects that people had proposed,” Keitshokile said. He said Mogoditshane residents had proposed that their money should be used for paving roads, storm water drainage and two big streetlights, especially in areas where there are no lights at all.
Tsogwane said it would be wrong for council secretaries to snub MPs when the councils consult residents on what development could the community do with the fund.
“Few MPs have complained that they were not consulted and our office will be writing to councils to inform them to follow proper procedure to invite MPs. Council Secretaries are supposed to be heading the projects, not District Commissioners like I hear people saying.
Councils are the ones who are suppose to approve the projects proposed by the people, not what the council wants,” Tsogwane said.
Tsogwane said the councils should have finished their consultations with residents for different areas and the council should have done that together with VDCs or Ward Development Committees.