What is interesting to note, however, is the manner in which the national assembly has dealt with the subject in light with recent developments. At the centre of this debate are the back bench MPs (majority of which are BDP members) who had been vocal on the subject lobbying for a substantial increment. By the look of things, the rambling over MPs' pay looks far from over. If we are not careful this debate will drain us both emotionally and mentally. It is an endless debate but the impact could be severe even with the potential to destabilize the ruling party. I am not in any way suggesting the nation should bend for the ruling party MPs as nobody can be above the law. What I am trying to suggest here is that we should be reasonable in debating MP's pay structure with an idea to reach a consensus. In the same token, the media should also be able to display maturity and leadership in their attempt to shape the national opinion in a responsible manner. The idea here should not to try to fix or punish Mps. Spencer Mogapi (Sunday Standard) is correct in stating the fact that MPs who are not satisfied with government salary should join the private sector.
But what is important is to objectively look at this matter and determine whether our MP's are getting a fair remuneration. Are our MPs not given a raw deal here? The important point to note is that MPs are public servants paid out of taxpayers money and cannot be paid at par with their counterparts in the private sector. Having said that, we should also be mindful of the constitutional powers possessed by MPs. The constitutional powers conferred on MPs demand that they possess certain expertise to enable them fully represent their electorates. The argument that to serve as a member of the national assembly does not require any academic qualification is misplaced and should be dismissed. Academic qualifications should not be a standard used to judge MPs. There are many people in our society who are unable to add value to the economy besides their series of Bachelor of degrees. You do not need to be a University of Botswana graduate to be able to serve electorates better. Some will argue that our National Asssembly needs more graduates as currently there are very few professional MPs in the back bench. My point exactly-how do you attract the best cream from the nation without fair remuneration? Secondly, what is a guarantee that those professional MPs will not abandon Parliament for greener pastures as some have done in the past? The fundamental question to ask is, what is the role of an MP in our representative democracy? MPs have dual roles, one is responsibility over the electorates is to debate bills presented by the cabinet and vote them into laws. The latter responsibility coincides with the doctrine of separation of powers where the legislature ensures checks and balances in the form of executive oversight not only to cabinet but even to the entire government.
