Isaac Pinielo
15 October 2009
Francistown — Olefile Moumakwa believes that Botswana National Front (BNF) is the only party with tangible programmes to solve the woes of Batswana. Perhaps, this is the reason why in 2006, the 56-year-old decided to retire early from the public service and join politics as an active member of the BNF.
Moumakwa, who comes from Tlhabane - a small village in the Kweneng District - worked as a public servant for over 22 years in the management services department. He says during his time in government, he was in charge of introducing job evaluation in the public, private and parastatal sectors.
After his retirement, he came to Francistown in 2007 and joined the BNF. Today, Moumakwa is the BNF parliamentary candidate for Francistown West. In tomorrow's elections, he will be running against Matlhomola Modise of Botswana Congress Party (BCP), Tshelang Masisi of Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) and Whyte Marobela of Botswana Peoples Party (BPP).
He says the only party that makes him jittery ahead of the elections is the BDP. He however pointed out that he is going to give it a run for its money. He says that although he is not scared of the BPP and BCP, he does not take them lightly. He intends to exploit their weaknesses.
"I don't want to leave anything to chance. In a competition like this one, anything can happen," he says. One thing that gives him confidence is the fact that the BNF is a national democratic progressive front backed by a comprehensive national economic programme.
"I have always seen BNF programmes to be above all the other parties in the country and I developed a burning desire to help it attain its goal of winning elections and ruling this country," says the ambitious politician.
Moumakwa has a bachelor's degree in administration from UNISA. He majored in political science and public administration. He holds a post-graduate diploma in management services from the United Kingdom.
He says that as he analysed different political party pamphlets, he literally fell in love with BNF Pamphlet No.1. He studied the BDP pamphlet and realised the party is practicing soft despotism politics."I had to compare what I studied at university with what I saw at BDP and I realised that BDP is a soft despot party which operates under the guise of good governance," says Moumakwa.
He points out that BCP was formed out of no concern other than to destroy the BNF. "BCP just wants to play to the gallery, it was really formed without reason."He says BPP has a narrow nationalist ideology and cannot come up with comprehensive programmes. "Its manifesto is repugnant," he says. He says the BNF has a good ideology of being neither capitalist nor communist.
"BNF has a vision based on four important aspects, which are to relieve poverty, fight ignorance, to have a good health system and to have a national economy that has private and public sector," he explains.
Moumakwa says unlike the BDP, BNF believes that the government should be the overseer and regulator of the country's economy. He points out that a good economy needs a strong involvement of civil society. "The civil society should have representatives in Parliament who would help in advising the government when it derails."
He says when BNF attains power, it will de-centralise power to give local authorities power and remove central government bottlenecks.
He says that his party would set up factories to process raw materials and create jobs. "We believe that the government should be the leading employer," he says.
Moumakwa is disappointed with the BDP government for liberalising the exchange control regime. He says the government is not aware of the mineral transfer pricing. He stresses the need for strong and qualitative education.
Moumakwasays he has conducted a situational analysis of the seven wards in Francistown West constituency. These are Monarch East, Monarch West, Monarch South, Tatitown, Botsalano, Kanana and Moselewapula.
From his analysis, he says he realised that Monarch East is the largest ward and yet the poorest. Tatitown which includes Bluetown, Madzibalore, Riverside North and White City has the highest number of the unemployed and young women have resorted to prostitution as a means of survival.
In Botsalano ward, which covers Kgaphamadi and Maipaafela, Moumakwa there are many slums. He says Kanana and Moselewapula which make up Gerald Estates have no shopping centre, secondary school or clinic. He says the constituency needs a relief programme which he will initiate if he is elected to Parliament.
Despite being a novice, he says he is a hardworking politician who believes in producing results. Apart from politics, he runs a consultancy in Gaborone. He has played football for the Gaborone United (GU) reserve side. He was the club's manager in the 1970s and 1980s. "I worked hard at GU when I was young and now I'm matured and have to do the same at BNF. If I did it at GU, why can't I make BNF the governing party in this country?" asks Moumakwa.
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