Africa-Press – Botswana. Some Batswana have hailed the political parties funding that was announced by Finance Minister, Ms Peggy Serame on Monday.
In her budget presentation, Ms Serame announced the funding of political parties to the tune of P34.6 million during the 2024/2025 financial year, the first in the history of Botswana.
Francistown Mayor, Mr Godisang Radisigo hailed the historic move, saying political funding had long been overdue in Botswana.
He pointed out that political campaigns had become increasingly expensive, making it difficult for smaller parties to compete with bigger ones that have financial muscle.
He also noted that lack of political funding had affected people’s choices of representation.
However, the mayor was of the view that there should be thorough auditing of how the funds had been used and that political parties should come up with plans of how they were going to use the funds. On the distribution of funds from the political funding vote, Mr Radisigo suggested that the size of each party should be taken into account.
“This is because the funds are meant to help parties campaign and represent their constituents, and larger parties will naturally have more resources and needs,” he said.
In addition, he said, this would ensure that smaller parties were not at a disadvantage and had fair chance to compete on a level playing field.
Mr Radisigo also praised government’s efforts to invest in infrastructure and social welfare, which he said were critical areas for improving the living standard of Batswana.
One resident, Mr Agisanang Machete of Coloured New Stance hailed Minister Serame as an innovative leader.
“Ms Serame is the mother of the nation. She is an innovative leader for the people. We need more ministers who are as innovative and forward-thinking as she is,” he added.
Mr Machete said the new development was a positive step towards the equal footing for all political parties during campaigns and a forward step towards democracy. He also praised the government’s efforts to invest in key sectors of the economy that include tourism, health and environmental conservation.
Mr Machete said the budget speech was well-focused and made important allocations to key ministries. He appreciated the reconstruction of the Francistown-Maun road, saying Francistown was the gateway to the northern corridor for trade and investment.
Another resident, Mr Tirelo Ditiro said the budget presentation addressed the needs of young people, who face significant challenges in terms of employment, access to education, and other opportunities.
He was also of the view that the budget speech demonstrated a commitment to addressing these issues and improving the lives of young people.
For Mr Kepaletswe Nkagisang of Donga, the Budget Speech, though focused, failed to fully represent the aspirations of Batswana.
Mr Nkagisang was of the view that the speech did not address the issue of unemployment amongst the youth and how the government would tackle the problem.
One area that needs more attention in future budget speeches, he said, was the issue of healthcare and drug shortages. With the budget speech is presented in English, some residents said it would be beneficial to have provided a translation in Setswana.
Mr Omphile Kebasea of Coloured Stance said this would ensure that those who were not proficient in English could still understand and engage with the content of the speech.
He said access to financial information and policy discussions was a critical component of democracy, hence it was important to ensure that all citizens could participate fully in the budget speech presentation.
DAILYNEWS
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