{"id":44122,"date":"2024-02-22T19:32:04","date_gmt":"2024-02-22T19:32:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/?p=44122"},"modified":"2024-02-22T17:51:34","modified_gmt":"2024-02-22T17:51:34","slug":"letsholo-calls-for-inclusive-voting-eligibility","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/letsholo-calls-for-inclusive-voting-eligibility","title":{"rendered":"LETSHOLO CALLS FOR INCLUSIVE VOTING ELIGIBILITY"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Botswana. <\/strong><\/span>Member of Parliament for Kanye North, Mr Thapelo Letsholo has emphasised the importance of extending voting rights to individuals who will turn 18 during the calendar year.<\/b><\/p>\n

Debating the 2024\/25 budget speech in Parliament on Monday, Mr Letsholo said a policy should be implemented by government to allow the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) to permit individuals who would reach the voting age during the election year to register for the upcoming elections.<\/p>\n

\u201cCurrently, voter registration policies often limit eligibility to those who have already attained the legal voting age,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He added that the call for expanded voting eligibility aligned with broader efforts to enhance democratic practices and foster a more inclusive political landscape.<\/p>\n

On other issues, Mr Letsholo commended government for the consideration of constructing a state-of-the-art public hospital in Kanye.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis truly demonstrates government\u2019s commitment to serving Batswana with the outmost care,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Regarding tourism, Mr Letsholo said vigorous strategies were necessary to formulate sustainable tourism policies in Kanye North for tourism management and conservation. \u201cWe have the Mmakgodumo Dam for example, and if given the opportunity to make use of this beautiful attraction in our own backyard, Batswana\u2019s livelihoods could be enriched,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Addressing the Chema Chema Fund initiative, Mr Letsholo acknowledged its noble intentions, but cautioned about the challenges of entrepreneurship. \u201cI suggest that aspiring entrepreneurs should be given opportunities to pursue their ventures, with provisions for those who may face setbacks to fail forward,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the MP for Nkange constituency, Dr Never Tshabang underscored the urgent need for economic diversification, particularly in the pharmaceutical and medical equipment sectors.<\/p>\n

\u201cCurrently government purchases medical equipment and medicines from outside the country since we do not have capacity to manufacture drugs and equipment locally,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He said the trend of an undiversified economy was worrisome and urged government to take decisive action to diversify the economy and reduce dependency on external sources for essential goods.<\/p>\n

Dr Tshabang also expressed concern regarding government\u2019s inability to implement successful initiatives that would benefit the ordinary Motswana.<\/p>\n

\u201cGovernment continues to introduce various initiatives which fail with the promise of uplifting its people\u2019s livelihoods, but what guarantee do we have this time around that the Chema Chema fund will be successful?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

On education, Dr Tshabang said the highest budget had been allocated to the sector but grappled with issues such as dilapidated classrooms and shortages of essential supplies like stationery.<\/p>\n

Regarding health, he noted that a public hospital had not yet been built as promised in Tutume. \u201cIf new hospitals can be built in other areas of the country, why is there a delay in Tutume?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

He added that equitable allocation of resources should be implemented in all regions of the country.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Botswana<\/a> Follow Africa-Press<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Botswana. Member of Parliament for Kanye North, Mr Thapelo Letsholo has emphasised the importance of extending voting rights to individuals who will turn 18 during the calendar year. Debating the 2024\/25 budget speech in Parliament on Monday, Mr Letsholo said a policy should be implemented by government to allow the Independent Electoral Commission […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":44121,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,12],"tags":[233,237,234],"class_list":["post-44122","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-policy","tag-africa-press","tag-africa-press-botswana","tag-botswana"],"yoast_head":"\nLETSHOLO CALLS FOR INCLUSIVE VOTING ELIGIBILITY - Botswana<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Member of Parliament for Kanye North, Mr Thapelo Letsholo has emphasised the importance of extending voting rights to ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/letsholo-calls-for-inclusive-voting-eligibility\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"LETSHOLO CALLS FOR INCLUSIVE VOTING ELIGIBILITY\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Member of Parliament for Kanye North, Mr Thapelo Letsholo has emphasised the importance of extending voting rights to ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/letsholo-calls-for-inclusive-voting-eligibility\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Botswana\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/AfricaPressTunisiaa\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-02-22T19:32:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/botswana\/sites\/38\/2024\/02\/sm_1708611574.569452.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1681\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1047\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/letsholo-calls-for-inclusive-voting-eligibility#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/letsholo-calls-for-inclusive-voting-eligibility\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"LETSHOLO CALLS FOR INCLUSIVE VOTING ELIGIBILITY\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-02-22T19:32:04+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/letsholo-calls-for-inclusive-voting-eligibility\"},\"wordCount\":479,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/letsholo-calls-for-inclusive-voting-eligibility#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/botswana\/sites\/38\/2024\/02\/sm_1708611574.569452.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Africa Press\",\"Africa Press-Botswana\",\"Botswana\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"policy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/letsholo-calls-for-inclusive-voting-eligibility#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/letsholo-calls-for-inclusive-voting-eligibility\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/botswana\/all-news\/letsholo-calls-for-inclusive-voting-eligibility\",\"name\":\"LETSHOLO CALLS FOR INCLUSIVE VOTING ELIGIBILITY - 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