Lekopanye Mooketsi
1 December 2008
Member of Parliament (MP) for Kgatleng West Isaac Mabiletsa says Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) MPs are failing to freely contribute to debates in the House because they are living in fear of recall.
Mabiletsa said this in Parliament on Friday when he was supporting a motion by Kanye MP Calvin Batsile, calling on the government to provide MPs' constituency offices with vehicles.
The outspoken Botswana National Front (BNF) legislator said BDP MPs could not support the motion because the Minister for Presidential Affairs and Public Administration, Daniel Kwelagobe, had earlier indicated that he was against it. Kwelagobe had told Parliament that government could not afford to supply the MPs' offices with vehicles.
Mabiletsa said the BDP legislators would not like to be recalled by their party for opposing the minister. "If you vote against the minister you will be recalled. Moatlhodi used to tell the truth," said Mabiletsa when referring to Tonota South MP Pono Moatlhodi, who was recalled - meaning he was ineligible to run on a BDP ticket in the 2009 general election by the party. Moatlhodi has since been reprieved.
Contributing to the motion, Mabiletsa said the idea (of having vehicles at MPs' offices) was long over due. He said if government respects MPs' offices, they should be provided with all the necessary equipment.
"Although we have equipment, like computers, we still need transport," he said.
He said such vehicles should have public address systems for announcing the MPs' Kgotla meetings. The legislator said they want functional vehicles and not necessarily luxurious models.
He said it is difficult for the employees of the constituency offices to perform their duties because of lack of transport.
For his part, Gaborone West South MP Robert Molefhabangwe accused MPs who opposed the motion of being unrealistic.
He said the truth of the matter is that MPs face hardships when it comes to transport. Molefhabangwe said Kwelagobe was trying to mislead the House on the issue. He disputed Kwelagobe's claim that the government was subsidising MPs to buy vehicles.
"There is no government subsidy.
The minister was deliberately misleading the House. When somebody becomes a minister, he forgets about all the logistic challenges that he was facing as an MP," he said.
Molefhabangwe also denied that the MPs' offices are assisted with transport by the District Commissioners' offices in their respective areas.
MP for Ngwaketse West Reggie Reatile said some MPs fail to tour their constituencies because of lack of transport. He said in his constituency alone, he is supposed to address 31 Kgotla meetings in different areas. He said even though he is paid a constituency allowance, he cannot cover the whole constituency due to high fuel prices.
"We should look at this issue as something to improve the people's representation," said the MP.Reatile said when they ask for transport from the District Commissioner's office, they are told that the DC only covers ministers.
He said even district councils have so many vehicles though they cannot rescue MPs with transport. Okavango MP Vista Moruti said there are areas in his constituency, which are accessible only by Land-Cruiser.
The Okavango legislator finds it hard to work in his constituency because of lack of transport.
Parliament will continue to debate the motion on Friday.
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