Khama berates councillors for walking out

EPHRAIM KEORENG
Staff Writer | Wednesday June 30, 2010 00:00

 

Khama has embarked on a series of council meetings where he addresses council leaders with his cabinet.Last week nine councillors walked out on him in protest against the barring of the private media from covering the meeting.

Speaking yesterday at a full Kweneng District Council meeting in Molepolole, the president said the nine opposition councillors allowed their petty party politics to misdirect them from their responsibility of representing their constituents.

'We are a government that knows that the development of Batswana requires the participation of elected representatives and not just those in the BDP. When councillors allow petty party politics to interfere with and misdirect their responsibility to represent voters and to discuss and deliver developments, we clearly must be concerned as citizens of this country, about the seriousness of such elected representatives to look after their constituents' interests,' he said.

Khama said the councillors, like all Batswana have rights to exercise adding that they are not forced to attend meetings that are not relevant to their role nor are they barred by any law to be members of any party. He explained that his cabinet holds the council briefing meetings just as it would do with all party caucus in parliament.

'All elected representatives are expected to report to their wards about developments and I do not see how anyone can report fully and truthfully if they have denied themselves the opportunity to interrogate those charged with the mandate to deliver, by failing to attend such meetings as this one,' he said.

Meanwhile the President told Kweneng councillors that due to a reduction in government revenues, a limited number of ongoing development projects will be implemented. He said the difficult economic situation calls for government as a whole, including local authorities to be prudent in financial management 'and also be proactive and creative in engaging their communities to assume greater responsibility for planning and development of their localities,' he said.