The MP for Mogoditshane, Patrick Masimolole has branded some parliamentarians bootlickers and accused them of failing to interrogate some decisions made by the executive.

While debating the State of the Nation Address yesterday, Masimolole stated that there are some MPs who think they love and respect President Ian Khama to the point that they will never question or oppose his decisions. He said parliamentarians have the responsibility to serve the people and not to be sycophants of the president. "He is my president and I love and respect him. But we all have to critic whatever he says not just to rubberstamp his decisions," Masimolole said. He called on Parliament to consider amending some sections of the constitution. He urged MPs to do the job that their constituents entrusted them with. He said there have been some objections to the amendment of the constitution from some MPs whom he accused of using Parliament to settle scores. "If you are coming with your internal wars to Parliament, you are going to lose as some of the motions being tabled here will benefit all of us in future," Masimolole said.

He cautioned those who are in authority not to forget that power does not last forever.He said constitutional amendments are required as a matter of urgency in the country. "When that motion is tabled in Parliament, no one is going to stop me from debating it," Masimolole said. He said if his constituents were to ask him to table a motion seeking for an amendment of some section in the constitution, he would gladly do it.

"Whether it is section 41, 12 or which they feel infringes on other people's right, I will do that in this House," Masimolole said.

He expressed concern that government is failing to economically empower Batswana. He wondered whether the Chinese are the only people who know how do construction work in Botswana. He was concerned that jobs that can easily be done by locals were being awarded to the Chinese. "You go to the Sir Seretse Khama Airport expansion project, the proposed senior school in Mogoditshane and the three ministerial houses near the Parliamentary Village, they are all being done by Chinese contractors," he said.

He added that the most puzzling thing about the state of affairs is that the Chinese construction workers are very young. He wondered whether there are no Batswana of the same age who can do the jobs.