- Will release report in 2023
- Opposition to be scrutinized as well
- Report aimed at influencing 2024 elections
SESUPO RANTSIMAKO
FRANCISTOWN: The Botswana Federation of Public, Private and Parastatal Sector Unions (BOFEPUSU) will evaluate President Mokgweetsi Masisi and his administration in order to establish how much the President can be relied upon to fulfill his promises, The Botswana Gazette has established.
This follows growing discontent about President Masisi within the union federation that says a report on the evaluation will be released in 2023, a year before Botswana’s next general elections.
According to the president of BOFEPUSU, Johannes Tshukudu, the evaluation will focus on Masisi’s leadership credentials, his performance vis-a-vis promises in his party’s manifesto for the 2019 general elections, as well as governance of the country under him.
“Our growing concerns about Masisi’s leadership influenced our decision to conduct this evaluation,” Tshukudu explained. “The report will inform us how he has performed since assuming the presidency. It is worth noting that a leader is judged by his credentials and what they do during their tenure.”
The veteran unionist said the evaluation is not meant to cast aspersions on Masisi’s leadership but is intended to help determine issues for the 2024 elections and the next government after the elections. Should the report on the evaluation conclude that Masisi’s administration has failed, it will be up to the working class and Batswana in general to act accordingly at the polls.
“If the report shows that Masisi’s government has failed, public service unions will have an influence on bringing about an alternative government in 2024,” Tshukudu said.
However, the opposition in Parliament will also come under scrutiny for its performance. Tshukudu says this is intended to determine which party may be entrusted with forming the next government after the 2024 elections. “The opposition in Parliament has to keep the ruling party on its toes to ensure that there are checks and balances,” he noted. “The opposition has a critical role to play in government.”
Reached for comment, the Chairman of International Communications and Relations at the ruling Botswana Democratic Party, Kagelelo Kentse, said BOFEPUSU’s assessment is welcome because it is what should be expected of oversight bodies. “What they are doing is welcome because we are confident that before they complete their report in 2023, we would have fulfilled all our election promises,” Kentse said in an interview.