Morwaeng clips Khama's wings
The Constitution Amendment Bill has been tabled in Parliament this week by Minister for State President Kabo Morwaeng and according to the amendments, a person who has held the Office of President for the period prescribed under Section 34 (1) of the Constitution shall not qualify for election as President. Minister Morwaeng told Parliament this week during the Special Meeting that the object of the Bill is to amend the Constitution of the Republic of Botswana after Government approved the Recommendations of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into the Review of the Constitution of Botswana.
“Every person shall have the right to education. Subject to such limitations as are contained in the provisions of this Chapter, the Government shall respect, protect, promote and fulfil the right to education. Nothing contained in or done under the authority of any law or policy shall be held to be inconsistent with or in contravention of Subsection (2) to the extent that the law or policy in question makes provision for measures that are reasonably required to achieve the progressive realisation of the right under Subsection (1) and except so far as that provision or, as the case may be, anything done under the authority thereof is shown not to be reasonably justifiable in a democratic society,” said the Minister.
The First Schedule to the Constitution is amended by substituting for the words "Assistant Minister" wherever they appear in the Schedule, the words "Deputy Minister". He told Parliament that Clause 7 of the Bill incorporates the changes agreed to under Recommendation 23 which call for disqualification of a person who has held the office of the President for an aggregate period of 10 years from being President, Vice President, Cabinet Minister, Member of Parliament or Speaker. The changes are effected by inserting section 33 (1A) under clause 7 (in relation to the President), Said the Minister. He proposed similar insertions in Sections 59 under Clause 12 and 62 under Clause 14, in relation to the National Speaker and membership of the National Assembly respectively.
"Clause 14 further incorporates, in Section 62 (1), the changes agreed to under Recommendation 82 with respect to limiting membership of the National Assembly only to citizens, including in the case of dual citizenship, persons who have renounced the citizenship of the other country.”
Another change is in relation to to Clauses 5 and 6 of the Bill inserting Section 14A and amending Section 15 to incorporate Recommendation 11, which call for the inclusion of 'intersex' and 'disability' among the grounds for protection from discrimination of the groups falling under those classifications.