Shadow Cabinet - is it necessary or useless?
Friday, March 22, 2013
My argument is that this is the closest that opposition in this country can come to demonstrating their readiness to govern. We do not want a scenario similar to the one in 1979 when Robert Mugabe, then a fresh faced and young Prime Minister told Lord Soames they do not know how to run a government and need assistance. Besides, in its absence, we really remain with quite little comparative base between them and the BDP. This notion was brought to my attention by a post I saw on one of the social networks updated by an opposition activist, athough he had meant it differently. In his post, he asserted that government under the BDP is actually run by technocrats.
The update read: "Without a doubt, the BDP as a party in Parliament, has a calibre of the most highly educated MP's at their disposal. And it goes on to the suspended Executive Secretary, and some of their National Executive Council members are university graduates and young entrepreneurs. I mean the party has/had Ministers who have even worked for the World Bank (Joy Phumaphi who was vice president), Former PS, Managing Director BDC and even IMF executive in Kenneth Matambo, Former Attorney General Phandu Skelemani, highly acclaimed scholars in Professor Sheila Tlou, Dr Gloria Somolekae, Former HR Director (Air Botswana) & Managing Director Barloworld Botswana in Dorcas Makgatho-Malesu, Chartered Accountant in Guma Moyo, Lawyers in Jacob Nkate & Ndelu Seretse, Former PS in Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi, Broadcasters in Patrick Masimolole & Dr Margret Nasha, Sports Scientist in Shaw Kgathi, Former Corporate Executives in Neo Moroka & Odirile Motlhale, Seasoned Economists in Former President FG Mogae, Dr PH Kedikilwe & Baledzi Gaolathe (MHSRIP), Former UNDP Administrator in Mokgweetsi Masisi, Former Educators in Keletso Rakhudu, Fidelis Molao & Peter Siele, HR Expert Practitioner (a rialo) in Prince Maele, Engineers in Kitso Mokaila, Boyce Sebetlela, Strategic thinkers in Botsalo "Chalobeke" Ntuane, Land Economist and former BHC & BTC CEO in Vincent Seretse, Former BFA CEO in Phillip Makgalemele, Former Standard Bank Executive in Moiseraele Goya....the list is endless. The collective opposition does not even come close to having such cadres in their ranks..."
It has only been a month since the newly elected government, the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC), took power, and there are already a lot of changes. Across different ministries, ministers are hard at work. Following heavy rainfall and storms that hit Francistown recently, the Minister of State Presidency, Moeti Mohwasa, made a commitment that government will assist those affected by the heavy rains. Mohwasa, when addressing the media in...