A response “Pay Politicians well”

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It is with disappointmentthat I have to express myviews in this platform aboutthe opinion of a fellow comrade. This article serves as a response to an article that appeared on The Botswana Gazette newspaper, Wednesday 5-11 June 2013, titled Pay Politicians Well. The author of the above mentioned article is Dithapelo Keorapetse, who is also supposed to be BCPYL president. I penned this article in gruesome pain and with despair at the thought of youth unemploymentin this country. Youth in this country live in abject poverty and our fellow cde is busy advocating for the welfare of people who orchestrated this devastating state ofaffairs.  The country’s worst non performers are found at Botswana parliament.

 

Our legislators have failed to diversify the economy, letalone improve the general welfare of their own people.  Corruption is endemic among cabinet ministers and Members of Parliament alike. Our president commutes around the country donating blankets and he goes home with a whopping P470 184 annually. Even a graduate who holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Social work does not get paid half of that salary, in fact some of them are interns at some government department and major itiesroam the streets. We should be reminded that besides his basic salary, HE enjoys the privileges that come with hisoffi ce. He is immune to any legalaction instituted against him, eitherin his personal or official capacitythanks to subsection 41(1)of the Botswana constitution.

 

Taxpayers are responsible for payment of his utilities and everything he wishes to chew on at anytime of the day. Our president and his property are protected by the state security and there is an unlikelihood that they can be stolen. In a nutshell he has peace of mind. MPs and councilors in this country make a stream of unfulfilled promises. They havea tendency of relaying bogus informationto their constituents,especially those from the poorestvillages in our country. It hasbeen years and we as the residentsof Sefhare are yet to see why our MP was voted to Parliament. Tswapong South is being neglected by Hon. Oreeditse Molebatsi. MPs live lavish lives.

 

On the contrary, Batswana youth remain jobless. They go for seasons withoutany substantial income. Those who are able to fi nd employment earn a meager salary which cannot even pay for the escalating rental prices and those of basic commodities. Most public servants do not qualify for a mortgage loan and hence spend years in the public service without any property ownership. Land allocation in Botswana is unfair, corrupt in nature and always at a snail pace on the part of citizens.What is more frustrating is the introduction of programs like backyard gardening. Where arewe going to cultivate those gardens if we do not own residential plots? All youth programs arehypocritical. They have endless requirements that a lot of us cannotfulfi ll. We are sick and tired ofdancing and chanting to the whimsand caprice of the ruling elite. Ouryouth leagues should be fi ghtingfor youth’s economic emancipation.Cde Dithapelo Keorapetse has over stayed his welcome as the BCPYL president; we need aleader who will fight for the liberties of the young  people.