President Ian Khama has been asked to choose between serving the nation in a meaningful way and going back to the barracks.
Lot Manyepetsa, the Botswana Congress Party youth leader, told a rally at the Gaborone Bus Rank that Khama must choose between solving the problems facing this country, such as unemployment and poverty, and going back to the army.
Manyepetsa said that since becoming president, Khama has been busy taking part in military style exercises, such as obstacle crossing, but not doing anything to solve the problems Batswana are facing.
He said that Khama has also been going around the country, sitting around bonfires with elderly people, discussing irrelevant issues that do not add value to the lives of Batswana.
“It is time he is asked to make a choice between serving the nation and going back to the barracks,” said Manyapetsa, who went on to criticise Khama for always resorting to simplistic ways in addressing the problem of youth unemployment and their involvement in crime by having youths form choirs instead of creating employment opportunities for them.
”I wonder how having youths singing in a choir can solve their problems of unemployment and stop them from taking part in criminal activities,” he said.
Manyepetsa condemned the Constituency League saying that Khama continues with the project despite complaints from the soccer body in the country.
Constituency league, he said, has up to now gobbled up P18 million of the national budget since its inception whilst national teams are struggling because of lack of resources.
For his part, University of Botswana lecturer and BCP Secretary General, Dr Kesitegile Gobotswang, told the same rally that his party will in the near future file a complaint with the Directorate of Corruption and Economic Crime and ask them to investigate the Minister of Education and Skills Development, Pelonomi Venson Moitoi, in regard to her conduct whilst she was still Permanent Secretary in the then Ministry of Lands and Housing.
Gobotswang said that according to the Christie Commission Report, Venson Moitoi mislead former Permanent Secretary to the President, Elijah Legwaila.
He said that they will also refer to the DCEC several other current ministers, including Kitso Mokaila of Environment, Tourism and National Parks, for having carried out some alleged corrupt acts which he did not disclose.
He said Venson Moitoi is a very unreliable person which he said can be seen in the way she is handling the chaos at the education ministry.
On the issue of taxes imposed on liquor consumption in the country, Goboswang said the solution is not to increase price of liquor as that on its own will not make people reduce consumption but will further impoverish Batswana who will not reduce drinking alcohol just because it is expensive.
The solution, he said, is to impose heavy fines on those caught drinking and driving and confiscating their driver’s licences.
