Inside Tsogwane’s office
Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Monday April 4, 2022 09:58
There is no doubt that “Rraagwe Philly” as he is commonly called in Parliament tries hard to contribute or defend whatever decision his party has taken but at a party level, he is not yet as visible as many had hoped.
Tsogwane can only shine at the Parliamentary level where he has powers as the Leader of the House, but there is not that much to talk about.
As the party chairperson, he has done little because his role is not well explained but members expect him to be the eyes and ears of the party on behalf of President Mokgweetsi Masisi.
His position in the party is ceremonial just like at the government level. Therefore, he cannot make any decision without first consulting with the President. Even when he is appointed by the President to act temporarily, he cannot make changes without the President’s consent.
Of recent, Tsogwane has been trying to be visible in the party as he has been concerned about the state of the party and has been assigning some members of the party central committee to check on the ailing party structures.
Where there were fights, he has intervened and made some orders for members to refrain from doing that. For instance, in Mogoditshane constituency, Tsogwane asked the deputy secretary-general, Shaw Kgathi to go and hear out what members were fighting over and make decisions on behalf of the party central committee where possible.
Tsogwane has been the one requesting members to bring evaluation reports of all by-elections that were held where they lost and won.
His post has been under threat as some members have been eyeing the position as they believed that they could do better than him. Still in his role at Parliamentary level, there is no doubt that he has done exceptionally well in defending whatever Bill or motion that the members brought to the House and defended the President when he is under attack.
During Parliament sessions, he regularly attends so that opposition MPs do not influence members of his party in his absence.
The BDP Chief Whip, Liakiat Kablay said Tsogwane is doing well as the Leader of the House and his experience as an MP helps him guide Parliamentarians together with Cabinet Ministers properly.
The Chief Whip also said one of the roles of the Leader of the House is to work hand in hand with the Speaker of the National Assembly to check if whether everything in Parliament is working well.
“He has to check that Bills and motions arrive in time. Mind you, if the Bills and questions do not arrive on time then that could affect Parliament procedures. Currently, there is no member who defends the party and President like the VP does in Parliament,” Kablay said.
“The opposition members need a strong person like the VP because at times they want to take control of Parliament and also hold it at ransom. Most of the time VP rescues us and the Speaker from the opposition members.”
He said one of the responsibilities of the Speaker is to check the times allocated to each member in Parliament and advise accordingly if it is sufficient or not.
In addition, he said the VP has the power to advise the Speaker without forcing him or her to take whatever decision he wants to take.
Furthermore, the Chief Whip pointed out that the Leader of the House has been tasked to chair the party caucuses and that helps BDP members to agree on certain issues in Parliament regarding motions and Bills.
“Caucus helps as to be united. It is important that we abide by the principles, rules and regulations of the party. Therefore, someone must keep on checking us whether we are on the right track or not. That is why our constitution is very clear that the caucus decisions are binding,” he said.
For his part, the BDP spokesperson, Kagelelo Kentse said they are happy with the role the chairperson plays in the party.
“He has worked very hard during the tough times of COVID-19 to keep the party intact and alive. We had to campaign for by-elections and took a tough but responsible decision not to hold rallies. He is now building structures of the party and the energy from members is amazing,” he said.
He said the VP is also doing a sterling job in Parliament as Leader of the House marshalling BDP troops like a commander.
Kentse stated that the consensus and uniform decisions taken by BDP MPS clearly attest to Tsogwane's able leadership. He said the number of motions passed in Parliament bears testimony to that, that the BDP is committed to implementing its 2019 manifesto and working tirelessly for a better Botswana.