Opposition parties are concerned about government’s seemingly reluctance to get the much talked about constitutional review process off the ground despite having been on the cards for a long time.
When addressing the media today (Monday), Chairperson of the Opposition Cooperation Forum, Dr Margret Nasha, said they keep on getting information in drips and draps, mostly at the instigation of Opposition Members of Parliament .
“Some of the answers we get are disjointed, incomplete and uninformative and as a result we cannot help but suspect that there is a deficit of will on the part of government to start the ball rolling,” she said.
Nasha said despite President Mokgweetsi Masisi having made many promises about a comprehensive review of the constitution three years back, the government is still talking about it without taking any action. “It is so difficult to decipher the eagerness with which Batswana are awaiting for the process to begin. We have been reading about unions, youth groups, Labour, BOCONGO and other civic organisations getting together to prepare their own submissions on the review but the government’s lips remain sealed,” she added.
The Former Speaker of the National Assembly mentioned that the Opposition bloc has therefore decided to put forward their demands on the processes necessary before the anticipated Commission could even start discussing the contents of the new constitution in earnest.
Among their demands, the parties want the direct election of the state president, electoral reforms, Independence of all oversight institutions, separation of powers and distribution of the powers of the President.
