Low expectations

| Wednesday May 1, 2013 00:00

 

Deputy permanent secretary at the office of the president, Jeff Ramsay said he has no special expectations from the budget and is waiting for Monday. The president of MELS, Themba Joina said he expects the budget to push certain projects intended at appeasing the majority of rural area dwellers as the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) has a huge following in those areas.  He doesn't have high expectations when it comes to projects geared at diversifying the economy at this juncture. He envisaged that there will be no efforts to sustain the economy, but instead more expenditure will be directed towards Ipelegeng and rural infrastructure development. He further said a larger portion of the budget would be used towards campaigning for the 2014 general elections. He also said he doesn't expect the unemployment rate to decrease but rather, more programmes that will appeal to youth will be created, like Back To School, agricultural programmes and many more haphazard initiatives so that the BDP can retain power.

The information and publicity secretary of Botswana Congress Party (BCP) Taolo Lucas said that there is no need for excitement over the budget speech as it has not changed ordinary Batswana's lives for the better.

According to him, this year's budget comes at a time when most individuals and households are feeling the strain of reduced revenue, dwindling prospects for personal opportunities as well as a collapsed education and health system.  In addition, youth who represent the country's hope for a knowledge based economy, have been reduced to a failed generation and encompass a large pool of unskilled workers with no prospects of pioneering the development of the country.

 He further said the country is in crisis, citing unemployment; many well-abled people are joining the ranks of the poor as they can't secure decent employment and inequality remains high. He said Khama's responding to this crisis through donating houses, blankets, radios and now shirts.

These are clear signs of a leadership devoid of a vision. He said BCP urges the government to disclose the number of people who graduated out of poverty on account of the backyard gardens, report on the number of jobs that have been created on account of the hubs that were set up in 2008, state the number of investors that have come to Botswana in the years 2012/2013 and the number of jobs they created. The president of Botswana National Front Youth League (BNFYL) Tona Selala said from a youth perspective they expect the government to increase their expenditure in a bid to curb unemployment.

 'As we speak, the government has frozen employment but there are vacancies as people are dying and others retiring from the services.

'He said that government should start employing people and reduce dependence on the private sector to hire people.'He said initiatives like the Youth fund and Young Farmer's Fund should educate people so that they can utilise them, citing the challenge of land.

 Selala said it took two years for the youth-fund to release resources to promote self employment. He added that the Ministry should demarcate the land and buy it back.

The president said that the Ministry of Agriculture should come up with a mitigation plan. He added that the agricultural sector is contributing a little to the GDP.

He cited an example of  tenders for commercial plots. He said land available for commercial purposes is often reserved for the rich and the poor are left out. He urged Batswana to start looking closely at the budget as it is normally meant to appease them when heading towards elections.