Holding MPs to account

| Friday March 1, 2013 00:00

 

Promises were made in 2009 when our present stock of Members of Parliament (MPs) asked people to put them in Parliament.  Almost all of them based their appeals on bringing development to their respective areas. But another general election is almost upon us, bringing the question of whether it is fair to judge MPs by the projects that came to their constituencies.

Almost all the MPs will say they entered the law-making House when the economy was hard hit by a recession, causing some projects to be deferred.  But even so, did they ever go back to the electorate to tell them about the situation before the campaign hotted up as it is beginning to now?

Some MPs have even suggested budget allocations to constituencies, not the ministries because it is constituencies they represent.  This is an interesting time because some constituencies have experienced considerable underdevelopment while others had a mushrooming of projects regardless of the recession.

Since 2009, a number of corruption cases involving the MPs have made banner headlines.  This means an uphill battle for politicians as they try to restore eroded trust at a time when more and more Batswana are reckoning that politicians ask for their vote in order for them to pursue and steer tenders their way.

The current term also saw the longest civil service strike ever, and voters will be keen to seek the views of politicians on the last resort that workers can use to express their grievances, all of which remain the same to-date.There was also a lot of floor-crossing, especially since formation of the Botswana Movement of Democracy (BMD) that rent the ruling Botswana Democratic Party asunder.  This raises the question of how much the politicians involved consulted with the electorate before they decamped.

Reached for comment, the MP for Lobatse, Nehemiah Modubule (BMD), said that it would not be fair to judge MPs on development projects because Botswana follows development plans.  Modubule said that even if an MP might have priorities, they matter little because they cannot alter the plan.

In his view, it is better to judge MPs on the motions they bring before Parliament, legislation they introduce and follow-ups they make on projects.  In some countries, Modubule added, it is fair to judge MPs according to development projects because they have a constituency development fund that is separate from the national budget.

That is why his party called for a constituency development fund through Odirile Motlhale before the MP for Ramotswa returned to the BDP.He also pointed to uneven distribution of resources across the country, saying the national cake is not shared equally.

The MP for Tonota South, Pono Moathodi (BDP), said that it is fair for the legislators to be judged according to the development projects they brought to their constituencies because they were elected on the basis of promises regarding such projects. Moathodi emphasised: 'Motlhala wa lepolotiki ke ditiro. (Projects form the basis of a politician's worth.)' He said he is against constituency development funds.

According to the MP for Gaborone Central, Dumelang Saleshando, it is important that people understand the role of MPs which he named as representation, legislation and influence on policy. Saleshando added that Batswana generally vote because they are promised certain development projects. But he also pointed out that MPs do not decide on projects but can monitor planned projects if they are delivered.  To that end, Batswana should learn to hold their MPs to account on their campaign promises.  In Saleshando's view, a constituency development fund would give MPs and the electorate room to discuss and agree on the projects that are not in national plans.