Batswana who followed proceedings of the BDP Special Congress held last in Gaborone will in later years reflect on the event as representing the reclamation of our economic sovereignty as a nation. Without question President Khama’s unveiling of the Economic Stimulus Programmme(EPS) amounts to a landmark announcement which is set to transform the fortunes of our country for the better. Indeed ESP is a manifesto for better times and heralds the return of happy days for our people. For the BDP faithful, judging from their euphoric reception of the announcement as well as the impassioned contributions and observations that followed, it was evident the President’s statement was just what the doctor ordered. The public reaction that followed beyond the confines of the conference centre has to a large extent been characterized by excitement and a sense of anticipation at what is about to unfold. The huge weight of expectation generated by ESP means no room must be left for failure and government must ensure that the initiative delivers on its goals. As was ably articulated by President Khama, ESP is anchored on three objectives of economic stimulation; diversification as well as accelerated employment creation. By dipping into the foreign reserves to stimulate the economy so as to avert yet another slump is a bold decision. This is a master stroke in transformational thinking by the leadership of this country through its ruling party. By announcing ESP at a party gathering we also sought to underline that the BDP intends to play a more prominent role in the formulation of public policy because in the final analysis the buck stops with us. On the ballot paper it is the party that wins or loses an election and for this reason the party must take the lead on matters that have a bearing on its life. With regard to ESP it is projected that by utilizing to full potential the key sectors of agriculture and tourism; and by investing in infrastructural development, land servicing and backlog eradication of key projects; as well as promoting manufacturing we will be able to transform the socio economic circumstances of our people. By promoting ICT services within ESP we are looking at creation of more jobs for the younger cohort of our population who are exposed to a lack of sustainable opportunities. Alongside existing government programmes aimed at alleviating poverty, ESP will give a fillip to this blight on the more vulnerable sections of our society. As BDP we have fully embraced ESP and since its launch, we have in the form of cabinet ministers and party functionaries been preaching this new gospel of hope and good times beckoning to acclamation by many of our citizens. Though not unexpected but somewhat disappointing, our political rivals on the other hand have gone out of their way to undermine ESP without even giving it time to get off ground. All manner of conspiracies and theories have been advanced to justify why ESP is already a failure. Such posturing is, to borrow an analogy, tantamount to pronouncing the demise of a newly delivered and healthy infant before she even begins crawling. Truth is, voices of negativity speaking out against ESP betray their sense of panic because it is set to upend the current narrative about the 2019 general elections. Before the birth of ESP a relentless campaign has been underway by the opposition to instill in Batswana the notion of inevitability of BDP defeat. On the basis of the good showing by our opposition in 2014, all and sundry within earshot were told to jump on the bandwagon of change lest they be left behind on the way to the new political kingdom dawning in 2019. Quite clearly this optimism has been premature and exaggerated; and opposition’s desperate efforts to discredit ESP reveals an awareness that the programme constitutes a game changer in favour of the BDP because it talks to the genuine aspirations of Batswana. The outcome of the 2014 elections speak to a protest vote by many unhappy about among others the state of their socio economic welfare and hence their exercise of an age old democratic tactic of voting with their feet against the BDP. As an organic political institution, BDP had to quickly diagnose the causes of its underperformance and embark on corrective action. For any party to have simply continued to slumber in the face of threats to its hegemony would have amounted to abdication. But because we have unfinished business in terms of nation building and delivering the national development agenda, we had to react accordingly. Thus ESP represents a component of our turn around strategy to demonstrate to Batswana that we remain alive to their concerns and needs and therefore their future is secure with us. That said, we have always delivered progressive policies even in years where we have registered crushing electoral victories. This we do because the mandate of those with the privilege of governing is betterment of the people and advancement of the national interest. In the midst of this healthy public debate arising from ESP a concession must be made to our rivals, though, and indeed to Batswana at large that the full details of the programme have not been published. However rather than this being illustrative of a haphazard initiative as some have put it, President Khama has explained that comprehensive details such as numbers of new jobs projected per sector and the amount of withdrawal from the foreign reserves will follow from respectively, himself and members of the executive. In fact this week, we have had a series of ministers going on different media platforms to flesh out ESP. This is set to continue until the whole nation possesses every bit of information about the programme. It must be noted that to grow our middle class and hence the tax base, ESP seeks to promote citizen economic empowerment by nurturing Batswana entrepreneurs through a favourable procurement regime as part of the existing Economic Diversification Drive(EDD). As BDP we concur that for this to happen all information must be put in the public domain and made easily accessible so as to guard against any impropriety. As an equal opportunities party, the BDP wishes to see all budding and established citizen contractors benefitting from ESP irrespective of political affiliation. This moreso because one of the distinguishing features of our country is that government programmes and policies are disbursed sans partisan consideration. Our appeal is for the citizenry not to be distracted by prophets of doom who never see any good in what our government does for them. These are early but exciting days and we must join hands as a nation to support ESP because it is a manifesto for better times that beckon for all.
*Ntuane is BDP Secretary General
