Let me first announce that the youth league has appointed Phemelo Kedumele as the Secretary General and Ndibo Seven as the Deputy Secretary General following the resignation of our SG Lame Segokgo due to work commitments.
Let me acknowledge His Excellency Mokgweetsi Masisi on his appointment as the 5th President of Botswana. Mr President this was the only chance to redeem the already eroded democracy after 10 years of terror under the presidency of Ian Khama, But You took over and failed to ignite hope from the onset! Your very own ascension to the highest office in the land is a serious violation of the constitution. You did not waste any time in imitating your predecessor and mentor in disrespecting the rule of law. Ian Khama has taught you well, you want to follow in his steps of wasting tax payers’ money by losing endlessly in courts of law.
We appreciate the appointment of Honourable Bogolo Kenwendo as the new Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry. It is indeed possible that the youth and women are also capable therefore deserve to be entrusted with leadership responsibilities. With her decorated CV we believe she was the best amongst BDP MP’s. However, we want to warn the nation that they must not get too excited with this appointment because the BDP want to use it as a carrot for the youth to claim that they care for and believe in them. But it would not solve any problem the same way as Thapelo Olopeng failed as the Minister of Youth with his promises that he has never fulfilled. We further advise Madam minister to stay true to the democratic credentials that founded this country, she should not allow herself to be used by a regime that is well known for oppression, corruption with little or no regard for the rule of law. She must at all times remember her peers roaming the streets in poverty, the unemployed young people who sleep everyday with no hope for tomorrow. Madam Minister we call upon you to stand up for the girl child and their human rights which are violated everyday by this regime.
The nation must remember that President Masisi has been a member of parliament, a minister and vice president of this country for the last ten years. During his tenure as an influential member of the executive where he was tasked with many responsibilities such as job creation, poverty eradication programme, labour unions and workers’ relations in which he failed dismally. Up to this day, President Masisi has never reported back to Batswana about the progress he made in his infamous ‘nyeletso lehuma’. It is now clear that this was a programme crafted specifically for Masisi to make him popular so that he can take over the reins from General Khama.
Unemployment is another burning issue and a time ticking bomb about to explode. According to BMTHS report unemployment declined from 20 per cent in 2013 to 17.7 per cent in 2016. We believe that research is fake hence deserves to condemned with outmost contempt. The BDP led government still fails to provide employment solutions for its own people. many workers experienced job losses in state owned enterprises on account of retrenchments. Botswana Water Utilities Corporation, BMC, BPC, and Air Botswana have retrenched hundreds of their employees. The private sector is bleeding, shedding jobs at a rate never experienced before. First National Bank, G4S, Builders warehouse, KBL are but a fraction of the companies that have felt the brunt of the current operating environment and sacrificed the workforce for continued survival in 2017.
Continuing to distort the true statistics of employment and poverty reduction using useless statistics that recognize input from undignified sources of employment such as Ipelegeng, and excluding statistics of the thousands of youthful graduates who have knocked their knuckles sore since graduation looking for jobs to the point of giving up and sitting at home is short-sighted, self-glorious and gives the wrong picture about our economy.
Mr President on behalf of the youth we demand immediate job creation initiatives, economic empowerment in sectors such as tourism, agriculture and manufacturing. We demand for the introduction of youth wage subsidy at the expense of Khama’s useless and infamous internship programme. This can be one intervention which we believe would reduce youth unemployment by providing a subsidy to companies which covers part of the cost of employing young people.
Mr President as the former minister of education we are sure you are aware of the demand on the call of allowance increment by the students due to the current economic status. About 8 years ago student allowance were decreased from P1 920 to P1420 on the notion that the country was going under recession. Over the years the cost of living was escalated at a higher rate therefore there is a need for increment of allowance to match the cost of living. As the youth league we have since resolved to mobilize the SRCs, students and all members of progressive student movements to demand allowance increment as a matter of urgency. The BDP led government must know that by refusing to increase student allowances they are unofficially promoting prostitution and blesser syndrome among the student community, thus exposing them to social ills and drug abuse. We are aware of some tendencies of senior members of the ruling party that make them possible ‘blessers’.
Mr President we have had enough of the monster called DISS in which its director is believed to be feared by all including yourself. It is quite evident that there is lawlessness and regulatory failure which has made this monster unaccountable for tax payers’ money. We must warn you and your cronies that we are not afraid of this monster. We highly condemn the corruption and looting of public resources by a selected few friends, thus demand for the disbandment of the DISS with immediate effect.
Mr President, we must acknowledge the demotion of the dean of corruption in the cabinet, Mr Sadique Kebonang, who is alleged to have presided over the country’s biggest corruption scandal in history, atleast the corruption that which has been exposed. However, it has become evident that the man may have been in cohorts with other senior public officers, amongst them the arrogant spy boss in the name of Isaac Kgosi. In the same fashion, Mr Kgosi must be relieved of his duties whilst investigations are still ongoing notwithstanding that we still call for the disbandment of the DISS.
We call on the country’s judiciary to stop enforcing the law selectively. All those implicated in the NPF scandal must join Seretse and Co. at court as defendants to answer for the misappropriation of the petroleum fund. That includes the former president Ian Khama, dishonourable member of parliament Mr sadique Kebonang and the ever arrogant Isaac Kgosi.
You Excellency, if you want to be taken seriously, be brave enough to do away with General Khama’s pet initiatives which have impoverished our people over the years. Be brave enough to fire Issac Kgosi and his cohorts whom General Khama appointed on the eve of his departure from office. Repel the alcohol levy and reinvigorate the entertainment industry which was brought to its knees by General Khama’s dislike for alcohol.
Young Progressives
President- Jacob Jacques Kelebeng
Increase student allowances- apyl call out Masisi
