BNF Mabiletsa is Assistant Speaker

EPHRAIM KEORENG
Staff Writer | Wednesday January 20, 2010 00:00

 

Parliament Speaker, Margaret Nasha confirmed Mabiletsa's appointment to Mmegi in an interview. She said that she appointed the Botswana National Front (BNF) member of arliament for Kgatleng East to the post in the last parliament session. 'I appointed him together with [Gaotlhaetse] Matlhabaphiri during the last session of Parliament and announced the appointments in the House,' she said. In appointing an opposition legislator to the post, Nasha broke a long-standing tradition of her party - the Botswana Democratic Party, which has always appointed only its members to the post.

When asked what informed her decision to buckle the trend, where her ruling Botswana Democratic Party has always appointed its MPs to the post, 'I was not looking at the party from which one originates. You should note that Mabiletsa is an MP and that qualifies him. I was also looking at people who have been in parliament for a satisfactory length of time, who are in a good position to grasp the procedures and have a good grasp of the Standing Orders,' she said.     

Nasha said that Mabiletsa was appointed along with former assistant Health Minister Gaotlhaetse Matlhabaphiri.

'It is paramount to have the two assistants because sitting in that [speaker] position  is quite draining and when the speaker is not in, even the deputy speaker cannot match the task alone. He needs to have the assistants so that they can relieve him. Golo hale go a lapisa,' she said.

Mabiletsa and Matlhabaphiri will hold the positions for the full five-year term of the current parliament.

Asked what the appointment meant to him Mabiletsa said that it puts him in a strategic position to get exposure as he may preside over the House in the Speaker's absence.

With such exposure he would be ready to take over as Parliament speaker if his party was to take over power in 2014.

He has however said that the position, which is largely a reserve speaker role, does not attract big perks.

'You get an extra-allowance (in addition to the sitting), every time you preside,' he said.