- focuses on restoration, revitalising economy and building Equity
- BCP, commentators say Boko failed to commit to election promises
- wanted to hear of the P4000, P1800 and P2500 promise
- Others argue these will be covered in the budget speech
- Pundits posit – ‘previous government left depleted government purse’
President Duma Boko on Tuesday focused his maiden State of the Nation Address (SONA) on undertaking a transformative journey that will address challenges facing the country. As a new government, that was historically elected into power on October 30, dislodging the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) which has ruled this country for the past 58 years, there were expectations that Boko would speak to some of the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) election manifesto promises, and implementation timeframes.
While acknowledging people’s eagerness of wanting to know what his party will do to fulfill its election pledges and promises, Boko however focused his first 100 days in office on laying the groundwork for long-term transformation.
Opposition leader, Dumelang Saleshando has however criticised Boko for having failed in his maiden address to commit to the promises his party made in its election manifesto. These he highlighted among others, the P4,000 minimum wage, monthly P1,800 payments for old-age pensioners as well as the P2,500 allowance for tertiary students.
Some are however of the view that all these will be covered by Vice President and Finance Minister, Ndaba Gaolathe during his budget speech when he will provide budget estimates for the next financial year.
There have been pundits who have posited that the financial state of the government purse currently makes it practically impossible for the monetary promises to be achieved. This, they argue is due to the known fact that the previous government left a depleted purse.
In his address, Boko spoke about a transformative journey his government will undertake in addressing challenges facing the country such as economic uncertainty, dependency on the diamond industry, high unemployment rate, declining birthrate and cashflow problems faced by government.
He emphasised that this moment demands both immediate solutions to stabilise the economy and long-term reforms that will lay the foundation for sustainable growth.
The president indicated that his first 100 days in office present an opportunity to demonstrate swift, decisive action while laying the groundwork for long-term transformation.
“The first 100 days is a period of renewal and restoration. In the first 100 days we focus on three interconnected pillars: Restoring Trust, Revitalizing the Economy and Building Equity.”
Boko assured that at the end of these 100 days, his administration will publish a “state of progress” report to the nation that will outline what has been achieved, challenges encountered, and plans for the next phase of transformation.
To restore trust and improve good governance, Boko revealed that they will among other things undertake a Financial and Forensic Audit, fashion a robust, independent anti-corruption agency as well as creating a digital transparency mechanism to enable citizens to track public spending. This comes amid corruption concerns in the country which many are hoping for the new government to combat.
“I have heard your voices. I have seen your messages. You want to know where your tax money has been spent. We will find that out and report back to you. We do so not to subject anyone to targeted demonisation. We do so to probe and examine the functional efficacy of our existing systems and institutions.”
As for revitalising the economy and attracting investment, Boko indicated that they will establish a Legal Reform Task Force that will draft key legal reforms to make Botswana an attractive environment for foreign and domestic investment.
“We will identify and begin the implementation of strategic projects in transportation, energy, and digital connectivity to boost employment and economic activity. We are committed to working with local and global technology companies to rapidly prepare Botswana for the future,” Boko added on how they will revitalise the economy.
As for social development, Boko revealed that they will among others, lay the foundation for an affordable housing initiative, launch immediate improvements in healthcare and education, as well as partnering with local farmers and farming institutions to improve agricultural productivity.
