Direct appointment of President could destabilise the nation – Cabinet
Sharon Mathala | Monday December 25, 2023 12:58
One of their major findings is that the direct appointment of a president could lead to disaster. A Cabinet White Paper, which sums up their stand on matters raised by Batswana following the review process explains the matter.
One of the recommendations from the Commission of Inquiry into the Review of the Constitution was that there should be no direct appointment of the President.
The Commission suggested that the current situation should be retained where the person nominated to be President is supported by the majority of the elected members of the National Assembly. “Direct election of the President has the potential to destabilise governance and create chaos.
There is a likelihood that challenges could emanate in several ways, such circumstances where the President may not be of the majority party in the National Assembly. In that sense, the President will lack the necessary support,” said Cabinet. Cabinet ministers also said there is no reason to change the current system as it has contributed to the stability of the country.
The current system espouses the notion of popular vote. Cabinet has also agreed that a former president should not return to active politics. The members will ask Parliament to approve that a retired president who has served an aggregate of 10 years, must not return to active politics or be eligible for re-election in any political office. Cabinet also wants a clear definition of active politics in law that will clarify this.
Cabinet also wants ministers to be chosen only from elected members of the National Assembly. Cabinet ministers should be appointed from elected members of the National Assembly as this will instil public confidence in elected members of the ruling party. According to Cabinet, only those Specially Elected Members of Parliament (SEMP) with certain required skills and expertise maybe considered. Cabinet also said SEMPs to be increased from six to 10.
“The current system, which provides for the appointment of Specially Elected Members of Parliament is an avenue that can be used for selecting Ministers with requisite skills, expertise and competencies,” Cabinet has suggested. Cabinet has also rejected another critical recommendation from the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into the Review of the Constitution ,which suggested that once a member has been endorsed as a Vice President, he or she should step down as a member of the National Assembly and that a by-election be held to fill in the vacancy within 90 days.
Cabinet refused this indicating this would temper with the electoral process. “It nullifies the vote of the electorate and will make redundant the importance of the vetting process through the ballot process. It will be detrimental for the office of the Vice President to be unaware of constituency issues and there is no guarantee that the constituency will be won by the ruling party, and where the constituency was a defining seat for the majority, it may lead to a hung Parliament,” Cabinet argues.