As in the recent past, there is no sense of eagerness in the country in anticipation of the budget details. Most Batswana have come to know over the years that the national budget is not a tool through which their lives could change for the better.
It has become an annual ritual of insignificant relevance to a majority of Batswana.
This year, the budget comes at a time when most individuals and households are feeling the strain of reduced revenue, dwindling prospects for personal opportunities, a collapsed education and health system. The youth, who represent the country's hope for a knowledge-based economy, have been reduced to a failed generation and provide a large pool of unskilled workers with no prospect for leading in the development of the country.
Our manifesto of 2009 stated as follows in the foreword;
"As for the economy, it is headed for collapse. No imaginative strategies are in place to expand the industrial base and create jobs. Diversification has failed as the economy remains heavily dependent on diamonds. The potential for the manufacturing and tourism sectors is being squandered by the BDP. Commerce and industry remain incompetent. The result is high levels of poverty, unemployment and inequalities. As the global head rears its ugly head, the structural weaknesses of our economy are being exposed. There are no alternative sources of revenue generation, hence an unsustainable dependence on foreign reserves for development and recurrent expenditure."
