Ntuane re-tables constitutional review motion

LEKOPANYE MOOKETSI
Correspondent | Wednesday February 17, 2010 00:00

 

'That this honourable House requests government to establish a broad based commission to undertake a comprehensive citizen centred initiative to review the republican constitution adopted on September 30, 1966 and such a review process to be completed within 18 months,' reads the motion.

Ntuane, who is associated with the barataphathi faction of the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), withdrew his motion during the last session of Parliament. At the time, he said, he did not want the motion to steal the limelight from the debate on President Ian Khama's State of the Nation Address. While Ntuane's motion will be backed by the opposition, it is going to pit the BDP barataphathi MPs against their rivals in the A-Team.  The motion is going to revive the hostility between the two BDP factions. The debate about  a constitutional amendment, featured prominently during the parliamentary discussions on the Station of the Nation Address in the last session of Parliament.

Parliamentarians like Ntuane who are identified called for a constitutional review while MPs who belong to the A-Team were opposed to the idea. The A-Team MPs believe calls for a constitutional review are meant to fight Khama.

The debate about the constitutional review was sparked by a case in which Gomolemo Motswaledi took the BDP and Khama to court last year after he was suspended as party secretary general. The High Court ruled that the case was dead because Khama enjoys blanket immunity from suit as a sitting president. The decision was upheld by the Court of Appeal and this only helped to intensify calls for a constitutional review, especially to whittle down presidential powers.

The A-Team  MPs have said the Barataphathi were taking their battles to Parliament after losing in court.

Previously, the BDP countered calls for constitutional changes with the put down that: 'If it ain't broken, don't fix it'.  Ntuane is re-tabling his motion when he is facing fresh charges from the party. He is one of the BDP MPs accused of colluding with opposition parties to frustrate Khama's preferred list of proposed specially elected MPs.

Ntuane,  together with Kabo Morwaeng and veteran lawyer Sidney Pilane,  recently appeared before a BDP panel over this charge. Khama has appointed a secret commission to investigate the allegations against the trio.  It is not known who authored the report that tabled the charges against the three BDP members.  

After he was handed the report, Khama's attempt to suspend the 'rebels' was rejected by the central committee. Ntuane has become one of the most outspoken MPs since his days as a specially elected MP