The Botswana National Front (BNF) wishes to congratulate the Botswana Government for the P1 million donation to the people of Haiti, which is meant to go towards mobilisation of humanitarian and reconstruction assistance in the wake of the devastating earthquake.
The devastation has been massive and has left thousands of people killed and many more injured or left homeless.
We agree with the comments attributable to ITUC General Secretary Guy Ryder that “Haiti, already the poorest country in the hemisphere, suffered massive damage from storms last year, and this catastrophe will clearly have severe consequences for Haiti’s future, in addition to the appalling human tragedy caused by the earthquake.
A major international effort is urgently needed to deal with the immediate consequences, along with support for building and rebuilding key services and facilities given the widespread destruction of the country’s existing but inadequate infrastructure”.
As a nation we should show compassion to others in as much as we would like them to when we are in need.
While we commend the gesture by the government, which was swift and speedy, we need to bring the government attention to the need to fight poverty in our midst with the same kind of approach. It is the poor who suffer most in times of natural disasters and therefore there is need to remove them from their current situation. We have a disaster of a different nature in our country that we also have to deal with; poverty, squalor and deprivation. We at the BNF send a message of solidarity and support to the people of Haiti in this darkest hour.
 
Thanking you,
Yours,
Moeti Mohwasa
Information and Publicity Secretary