The Botswana National Front (BNF) has said the State of the Nation Address (SONA) came at a time when the country is in economic turmoil, social depression, decline and a political crisis saying President Mokgweetsi Masisi has failed to seize the moment to address such.
In a statement BNF Secretary General Ketlhalefilwe Motshegwa stated that; “The ruling party is dismally failing to govern, there is a serious leadership vacuum, poor planning, defective project implementation and monitoring.”
He said amongst the expectations of the BNF from SONA was adequate supplies of medicines, drugs etc at all government health centres including clinics. “This is a must and non-negotiable,” he said. Motshegwa added that the BNF had also expected SONA to address challenges faced by the poor, the working class and the informal sectors as they have been hard hit by economic predicaments. The opposition party also expected; “A programme to address immediate and long-term quality employment opportunities. In this regard, the so-called Revitalized Ipelegeng must be unpacked in full with budget and Indicative job opportunities to be created and where?”
The BNF also expected a clear policy statement about how the government is “addressing the mess at the Judiciary and how will the government respond to the concerns over political interference and the behaviour of the Chief Justice?”
They also expected the SONA to, “Clearly indicate how government is addressing reported cases of corruption in tender awards including the President’s family” and “What practical measures is the government making to address children disappearance and gender-based violence.”
The BNF also sought “Assurance to the Public that the President and his government will drastically reduce unnecessary and impactless foreign travels to control public expenditure. There is also evidence that the Office of the President is bloated.”
“There is need to provide explanation, corrective measures to be undertaken regarding infrastructure that lacks quality and durability with examples of roads, bridges, some hospitals, schools,” said Motshegwa. He said while these are their expectations, they would never be realised “because the Government has demonstrated and proven that it is incapable of bringing socio-economic progress to the people of this Country.”
