“Nations, like narratives, lose their origins in the myths of time and only fully encounter their horizons in the mind's eye.” This is according to the judicious critique of a scholar called Homi K. Bhabha. On the historic 30th of October 2024, the nation of Botswana strongly rejected to fully encounter their horizons only in the mind’s eye.
They vehemently insisted, through the ballot, to realise a better and prosperous Botswana also pragmatically. Ages and ages hence, history will reflect with a great sense of profundity as it places a permanent marker on the 2024 election year.
Tautona Advocate Gideon Duma Boko in his State of the Nation Address responded to the call of Batswana unequivocally. He set out clear and reasonable paths to the development that our country needs.
As I stand to contribute to the State of the Nation Address, I am cognisant of the magnitude of the responsibility on our shoulders. We have been entrusted by the citizens of this great Republic to be their voice, advocates as well as facilitators of development. This is an honour that humbles me, and I stand before you today fully aware of the gravity of the responsibility at hand.
Indeed, we are living through a historic moment for our country and society. This historic transformation requires that we interact with each other and engage on issues in a productive way. It has been pleasing to listen to the debates and interactions of the 13th Parliament, and these have been inspiring. The house under your leadership Mister Speaker as the youngest speaker in our history, has demonstrated an exemplary transformation.
As a house, although we differ in some areas, overall we are aligned with convergence on a number of key areas. We seem to all agree on the need to strengthen accountability and transparency, improving the performance of our economy and providing the necessary infrastructure and services required by our citizens.
The fight against corruption has been a common theme across all your inputs to the President’s statement. The message is loud and clear, government will to undertake a comprehensive audit of how public resources have been used and you will be dully apprised of the outcome so that we can champion whatever solutions going forward together.
This moment affords us the opportunity to undertake a comprehensive review and restructuring of our government and economy. This is what Batswana have demanded from us. We are therefore not going to shy away from these and will move with speed in undertaking these reforms in order to move our country forward. These demands are not just from our citizens but also from the global economy. They require us to be competitive.
The new administration has started to align the National Development Plan 12 to our priorities with a view to Achieving Prosperity for All. As a consequence, sectors will also align their strategies to the new strategic direction in line with the promises we made.
This calls for all of us to see and do things differently, including the way we engage in this house on issues of national interest. Our engagements must therefore be constructive, value adding, and transformative always, with the primary objective of uplifting the welfare of Batswana.
Mister Speaker, on issues of the economy and Government financial status, it has been explained and cleared any confusion from what was considered contradictory statements from Bank of Botswana and the Minister of Finance. I have also informed this house that a detailed report on the status of our economy will be shared with the house later.
Reforms that reinvigorate our economy continue to be implemented, including recent international trips by the President to secure our diamond industry as outlined in his press conference held on the 4th of December, 2024.
Regarding programme and project implementation, as the Minister explained, the Development Manager Model is being reviewed. The outcome of the review will inform the changes to be adopted. Government is also currently undertaking performance reviews that include project monitoring to ensure effective implementation of policies, programmes and projects.
As for Agriculture, Mister Speaker, the sector has been identified as a priority in our agenda for growth and diversification of the economy. The review of agricultural programmes will be undertaken as promised in the Address. Let me assure you that, the review will not disrupt the current ploughing season.
Mister Speaker, with regard to health, prioritising access to quality health care service remains important for sustainable and inclusive development as the Minister has well-articulated. In this respect, Government continues to find innovative ways to address underlying challenges within our health care system which include supply of drugs and others as highlighted by Honourable Mosanana.
I have noted questions from some Honourable Members about how the Health Insurance will work. As the Minister explained, we are still to lay out the how part of implementing the reform and the house will be accorded time to contribute to the proposal.
On the Non-Communicable Diseases, Mister Speaker, all of us can bear testimony to this challenge. We must commit as individuals and a society to promoting physical activity as part way of tackling risk factors for NCDs. Our road infrastructure and public safety laws will be reviewed to deliberately accommodate this imperative. Several organisations continue to support marathons, walks and many other physical activities that help improve physical and overall health. This is very much encouraged by government.
On access to education, Government believes that no child must be left behind in accessing quality education. There are a number of suggestions that have been made by Honourable Members including creating more unified schools to ease the burden of students travelling long distances or having to relocate for boarding at schools.
I believe you will agree with me that the presence of parents and their loved ones is key to every child’s development and should be protected. Your suggestion Honourable Motaosane is an important one, the government will do all it can to promote good early childhood development and overall equitable access to education.
Mister Speaker, government is also addressing the need for appropriate education infrastructure as well as improving conditions of the existing ones to provide a conducive learning environment for our children. In this regard, a significant number of both new and maintenance projects will be included in National Development Plan 12.
On issues of Human-Wildlife Conflict, we are concerned about the loss of life and destruction of property. We recognise the need for human-wildlife co-existence, and the need to safeguard the lives of Batswana and protect our natural resources. Only through this balance, can we sustainably maintain our cultural heritage, biodiversity conservation and promote tourism.
Mister Speaker, several Members have talked about the need for people to be allocated land mainly for residential development and addressing corruption in the sector. I do agree with those who have echoed such sentiments.
I must also emphasise that, government will prioritise access to decent and affordable housing and land allocations.
The suggestion by Honourable Badirwang Letlhogonolo to undertake a forensic audit on land is also welcome. This is in line with our commitment to audit government and root out corruption in our society and institutions. Issues of land allocation and management are no exception and we know it is one of those that Batswana are concerned about.
Government has clearly outlined other measures to be adopted to accelerate land allocation and providing affordable decent housing. We are not only focusing on land allocation, but also spatial planning and developing infrastructure in a way that leverages the interconnectedness of settlements.
In strengthening democracy and good governance Mister Speaker, the president has outlined a clear roadmap of reforms to be undertaken. I am aware that Batswana and several Members of Parliament are demanding that government urgently address corruption and all its manifestation.
As stated in the SONA 2024, the government will undertake a Financial and Forensic Audit to investigate, identify waste, corruption and inefficiencies across all Ministries and Parastatals, this will be done through setting up a presidential Commission.
Honourable Khan, we are resolute on this commitment. Government is following our guiding laws to meet this necessary demand. Batswana will therefore witness the results of a process that is fair and just. Furthermore, to sustain the fight, robust measures to prevent and combat corruption and maladministration are being put in place.
Mister Speaker, we need a value-laden system, anchored on Botho, if we are to close out opportunities for corruption. Part of our transformation agenda is to instill patriotism, good governance and ethical conduct. It is through this way that we will strengthen transparency and accountability to citizens and to restore their faith in our systems of governance.
I implore all of us to be each other’s keeper, be your brother’s keeper...! I therefore call on all of us to play our part in fighting crime. I must reiterate that our duty as the People’s representatives extends beyond mere rhetoric or political posturing. We have a solemn obligation to the people who have placed their trust on us, to diligently work towards improving their well-being, their prosperity and their dreams.
The debates were indeed cordial. Bagaetsho, e ke puso ya UDC ka fa e ntseng ka teng, le gololesegile go ntsha mahatlha a lona go buelela ba lo ba emetseng. We should all enjoy the democratic right to express ourselves under the leadership. Re bue ka tshosologo, re gakologelwa gore re Batswana, re bua le Batswana ka Setho.
We must therefore continue to engage in constructive dialogue reinforced by a spirit of appreciation of efforts made, and a strong determination to bring about the positive transformation our nation deserves. It is in unity that we can forge a path towards a brighter future, ensuring that “no Motswana is left behind”.
To revive the economy and jumpstart activities that can produce the desired outcomes for our country, the State of the Nation Address zoned into pragmatic focal areas like Foreign Direct Investment into Botswana.
Exploiting advantages of holding the highest credit rating in Africa, the President has made an undertaking to set up a legal reform task force to strategically deal with all unnecessary impediments in order to create a conducive environment for both domestic and international investors.
We believe that the above stipulated economic pathways and more that we will shortly unfold will ease your concerns of the 2029 doomsday that you waxed lyrical about in your response to the SONA.
Actually, if you had bothered to listen carefully to our utterances about unemployment, you would know that the UDC government intends to create 500,000 jobs by 2029 that you so gloomily warn us about.
Mister Speaker, nonetheless we agree with Honourable Saleshando that an independent parliament is a life pulse of a healthy democracy. Our point of divergence with this argument is when you confuse the 13th Parliament with the 12th administration that was vicariously inept, inadequate and inefficient in running the country and this august house. Please don’t pre-judge us on your past experiences with Ma Domkrag.
Our feet are not even yet under office tables but you are already firing warning shots in the air. The UDC manifesto is very clear on what we intend to do. It is unfair and opportunistic for some within this house to try and create an impression that we are not going to implement our manifesto pledges.
As the UDC, in spite of our numerical strength, we have as much as possible allowed an environment to prevail under which all can express their views without unnecessary heckling and intimidation. We are doing this because there is a need to bring seriousness and focus in our debates. The parliament should be seen as a forum that exudes seriousness and tolerance but not a forum for jokes. People should not see us clowns and follow our debates to pass time and for entertainment.
Lastly, let me indicate that we are proud of the results of cadre development by both the Botswana National Front (BNF) and the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC). The majority of leaders on the opposite side, to be precise, the BCP, are products of these two organisations. Without doubt, the UDC will continue to produce more capable leaders.
*Mohwasa, the Leader of the House and Minister for State President, presented his response to the State of the Nation Address this week. This is an abridged version of his presentation
