Africa-Press – Botswana. Leader of Opposition (LoO) Dumelang Saleshando has called on President Duma Boko to provide accountability regarding the declaration of a State of Public Health Emergency, dismissing the move as a mere drama.
Addressing the media earlier today, Saleshando said it was worrisome that ironically, Boko declared the SOE immediately after Parliament winter session.
Saleshando sounded the horn that the move by Boko to declare the emergency without Parliament, is truly clipping the legislative’s power in decisions undertook by the executive.
“We seem to have a trend of a national president who acts alone on very important national issues and remember as Parliament our duty is to provide oversight on the conduct of the executive,” Saleshando bemoaned.
The Member of Parliament (MP) for Maun North said, this should be a wake up call to the legislators that if decisions are taken by the executive without their oversight they are heading for the worst.
Regarding the SOE declared, Saleshando said it is pitiful that despite the declaration of the emergency, the public and legislators are swimming in a pool of darkness.
“In August 2025, after Parliament, the president declared the public health emergency. It meant that Parliament had no role to play and no knows if the health emergency is on as we speak or not,” he said.
In the advent of the Special Meeting for the National Development Plan 12 (NDP 12), LoO said they cannot even seek clarity on the health emergency if it’s over or not.
Furthermore, Saleshando said government is even failing to restore the medicinal drugs across the country despite the health emergency declared and labeled it as drama.
“I can tell you that from the party of the country that I come from, there are shortage of drugs. So what this all about? What was all this drama about if it didn’t fix anything?” asked Saleshando.
Dismayed by the declaration of the health emergency, Saleshando queried if the emergency is serving any purpose as things have even taken a turn for the worst as even critical medicines are not available.
“Even as we speak today there are shortages of drugs and now the ministry of health is saying there are no ARV’s and condoms, so this is worrisome. So even with this emergency there are no medicines,” he said.
Saleshando has now called on Boko to account and not try to be a superman who arises whenever there is a crisis and disburse Botswana Defense Force (BDF) trucks.
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