BOFEPUSU pins hope on Masisi
Innocent Selatlhwa | Friday December 1, 2017 16:35
Masisi has an opportunity to snatch BOFEPUSU support from the opposition parties, but it surely will not be a piece of cake as they want him to ‘reverse’ Khama legacy.
BOFEPUSU president, Johannes Tshukudu said they have decided to forget about Khama and focus on presenting their grievances to Masisi who will take over as President in April 2018. Expanding on the issue at a press briefing yesterday, BOFEPUSU secretary general, Tobokani Rari said in his 10 years at the helm of the country, Khama has never listened to the unions, but instead made life difficult for public servants. Their hope is that Masisi will give them an ear, he said.
To woo the workers to his side, Masisi will have to give a lot.
Rari said on top of their wish list is to see Masisi sack Presidential Affairs, Governance and Public Administration, Eric Molale and Permanent Secretary to the President, Carter Morupisi. The federation has described the duo as enemies of workers as they oversaw draconian laws imposed on public servants and want Masisi to repeal those.
The federation also wants Masisi to fire some permanent secretaries and directors they deem useless. Also, they want Masisi to do away with the Electronic Voting Machine.
“We have requested to meet the President so many times during his presidency, but he never heeded our call. The Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) has also not been forthcoming as we had only one meeting with their Labour committee.
'We requested through the then secretary general, Botsalo Ntuane to meet the party central committee but he never responded to our letter,” he said. Rari said they further tried to arrange a meeting with the BDP Parliamentary caucus through their chief whip, Liakat Kablay who never got back to them with a positive response. “We have met Masisi and some ministers early this year, and he recently wrote us asking that we meet his ministers about the Public Service Act and we are looking into that,” he said.
On the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC), Rari reiterated that they do not have a permanent marriage and that their congress would give them a mandate on the way forward. “Our relationship with the UDC used to be excellent. We were involved in their campaigns and contributed to their manifesto.
'But things have since changed and we wish they picked up their socks. We had given them questions and motions to present in Parliament but they have done very little. We struggle to have meetings with them,” he said.