Outside, in the public tents, scores of ordinary Batswana watch the proceedings, eyes glazed over from the stupor that often results from the bombardment of techno-jargon and hot temperatures. Further away, many more listen on radio or watch on television an annual ritual from which they feel increasingly excluded and view as either purely scholastic or irrelevant. If the alienation of Batswana from the budget was merely an issue of communication or techno-speak, a crisis would easily be averted by training legislators to communicate the budget to their constituents, pointing out areas of relevance. Again, if the sole reason was that popular interest in the budget died when the announcement of a civil service wage review was moved to the Public Service Bargaining Council, solutions could be found.
Even the chronic challenge of low financial literacy could be sorted out. However, the challenge is graver: The budget announcement, in its current form, fails to reach the minimum yardstick for relevance in the lives of ordinary Batswana. When Kenneth Matambo says the economy is expected to grow by 4.9 percent this year, the statement has no resonance with the ordinary public.
