Army barracks for State House

BAME PIET
Staff Writer | Friday February 26, 2010 00:00

 

Parliament was told yesterday that current offices housing the Criminal Investigation Department at State House will be converted into a fully fledged army barracks.

Parliament this week approved the budget for the Ministry of State President . The Ministry will spend P462.2 million for its recurrent budget and and P330 million development budget from which the P5 million will come. 

The plan to build a barracks at the State House has received strong opposition from opposition whip and Gaborone Central member of Parliament Dumelang Saleshando. Saleshando said on Wednesday, that it seemed everything was being done to please President Ian Khama these days. 

He said that it was surprising that government should set aside important development projects on the grounds of economic recession while the presidency was spending money on luxury projects without the approval of Parliament. 

'We are financing (the) personal taste of the President,' he charged.  Saleshando wondered if there was any imminent threat that the country was facing to justify building an army barracks at State House.  He said there was also no justification for the government to spend P6 million per year on the welfare of former presidents in addition to the millions spent on their housing.

Saleshando accused the government of turning the state media into a mouthpiece of the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), saying it was easy to predict the content of Btv News because it was either the President, the Vice President or cabinet ministers. He called for the state broadcaster to be transformed into a public broadcaster.

Meanwhile, responding to comments by MPs, the Minister of Presidential Affairs and Public Administration, Lesego Motsumi said the state media was moved to the Office of President in order to improve its efficiency.

Motsumi said the OP was worried by the threat of 'anarchy' at the Mass Communications Complex. 'Go ne go itirelelwa fela, and we did not want to see that continue,' she said.