We want a Vice President not a cheerleader

| Wednesday March 3, 2010 00:00

Not here. Not in this country. Here when the country is enveloped by a high sense of disquiet, which needs decisive action none other than the Vice President of the country is happy cheerleading a charade that enjoys playing with spittle.

At a time when the nation is concerned with kicking out corruption, or any perceptions of it particularly in the corridors of power, by coming up with a law that will ensure that our leaders are beyond reproach, Vice President Mompati Merafhe is engaged in a cheap game of political point-scoring and playing to the gallery.

We do not understand Vice President Merafhe's strange, unfortunate and highly polarising intervention in Parliament in the wake of Gaborone Central MP's motion seeking to introduce a declaration of assets bill.

The reality is that there is a growing concern that leaders, including Cabinet ministers, MPs, senior government officials and CEO of public enterprises and their families, could be leveraging their position to gain tenders and other lucrative deals. Already there are indications that this is happening and it cannot be right in a country that professes to be a model democracy in the region and beyond.

Local media had to dig out information that shows that Defence and Justice Minister Ndelu Seretse's company was doing business with departments under his ministry. Had it not been for some hawk-eyed journalist who reported this untidy trading, we doubt if Seretse would have publicly declared that he was involved in such trade practices.We believe that a law as suggested by MP Saleshando will help curb such malpractices and most importantly it will insulate our leaders from accusations and innuendos. This law will also protect the public and most crucially it will ensure that there is transparency and trust.

What the public expects from MPs is to ensure that this bill passes expeditiously. Minister Motsumi's appeals that Saleshando's bill should be ignored because she will bring a similar bill must be rejected. When is she going to bring the bill to Parliament? And what prompted her into bringing the bill anyway?

Everyone expected Vice President Merafhe to caution Minister Motsumi to stop playing games at a time the nation expects speedy service delivery. Batswana demand visionary leadership from the Vice President - not political posturing that feeds on partisan politics. The declaration of assets bill must come NOW, not tomorrow.

                                                                              Today's thought

                                         'We either want less corruption, or more chance to participate in it.'

                                                                                - Anon