What started as an innocent motion by Specially Elected Member Botsalo Ntuane to honour former President Sir Ketumile Masire by naming landmark buildings and other such related places and streets after him is fast degenerating into a controversy inside parliament.
Even the ruling party Members of Parliament are divided over the matter.
It all started with a series of amendments to the initial motion until such time that it had lost its formative complexion as composed by Ntuane.
Now, other MPs are stretching the boundaries further as to want to question Ntuane’s motives for coming up with such a motion in the first place.
Botswana National Front Member of Parliament for Letlhakeng East, Gordon Mokgwathi, said it is insincere for Ntuane to just come up with one name out of the country’s total population of 1.8 million people.
Debating the motion, Mokgwathi cast aspersions on the reasoning behind the motion.
Mokgwathi said instead of singling out Masire for honours, there should be established a clear set of criteria that would allow other players who have contributed to the country to benefit.
“This motion is flawed,” said Mokgwathi.
He said he imagined that being knighted has been a sufficient enough honour for Masire.
Another BNF MP, Isaac Mabiletsa of Kgatleng West, said the motion should be all encompassing.
“Please let’s not politicize and polarize the motion by making it partisan,” said Mabiletsa.
Mabiletsa said just like Masire there are other Batswana who have immensely contributed to the nation.
He singled out the late MP Paul Rantao, who he said was the first Mayor of Gaborone City, a position he held for ten consecutive years.
“Yet there is not a single street named after him.”
Attempts by Member of Parliament for Mogoditshane Patrick Masimolole to end the debate of the motion failed, with some MPs feeling they still wanted to make inputs.
