Outspoken Francistown West Member of Parliament Ignatius Moswaane suspects that there is a conspiracy by the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Kagiso Molatlhegi and his colleagues in the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) to muzzle him.
This comes after a number of motions he had proposed were killed before they reached the parliament floor. A few weeks ago, Moswaane tabled a motion calling for a comprehensive policy to protect the interest of the informal sector. The motion was killed on the parliament floor long before it could be put to a vote.
Moswaane expressed concern that he had already tabled his motion and presented it to parliament, but was stopped midway through his presentation because parliament had to break for the day. The debate on the motion, however, was never tabled again. “I had hoped the motion to be continued and discussed some weeks back and todate nothing of the motion appears on the order paper,” he complained.
Moswaane also tabled a motion on the Botswana Society for the Deaf which never saw the light of day. The Francistown legislator also broke ranks with the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) when he tabled a motion calling for an investigation into allegations of maladministration at the Botswana National Youth Council. Despite strong opposition from the BDP parliamentary caucus, Moswaane forced through his motion, taking pot shots at the BDP government in the process.
Moswaane told parliament last week that he was uncomfortable with what seems like a delebarate effort to muzzle him. After a number of his motions were put on mothballs, Moswaane simply joined the dots, and a sinister outline emerged, that the deputy speaker and his colleagues in the BDP were ganging up against him.
┬á“I am afraid of what is happening. I wish to have your protection,” Moswaane pleaded.
Molatlhegi explained that there was nothing sinister in the way Moswaane’s motions have been stalled. He invited Moswaane to his office for an explanation on why the motions have not been put back on the order paper.
┬á“I have a long well written letter over your debates and wish that you visit my office and get the information. The issues are not suited for discussion in this House,” Molatlhegi said. Molatlhegi, who was not amused by the deputy speaker’s response shot back: “For weeks I have been waiting for my presentations to resume but to no avail. Now I am told the presentations should be held in secret. I am confused………This is not proper. I am not happy,” was all Moswaane said.
