Botswana Congress Party (BCP) leader, Dumelang Saleshando says there is too much corruption in the country because President Mokgweetsi Masisi is decorating it and habouring wrongdoers.
He said today's graduates cannot find work because the current education system is not working in their favour and education has deteriorated. According to the BBCP leader who is also MP for Maun West, institutions like the Directorate of Intelligence and Security (DIS) do as they please because of the president. Saleshando told the BCP National Conference in Mahalapye that DIS has expropriated the work of all law enforcement agencies.
“The DIS is untouchable in all respects. It does not respect any institution of the government. They are the Botswana police, they arrest, investigate and prosecute but their prosecution rate is nil because we have not seen any case they successfully prosecuted. Currently, under Masisi we have a DIS which decides on the government tenders. They are meddling in the tenders”, Saleshando said.
He stated that President Masisi has spoken about the rule of law in his campaign message for the 2019 general elections but what obtains now is the opposite. He added that currently, President Masisi has fired the Director General of the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime three times in three years. Further that this development is the first of its kind.
“Even in terms of travelling, Masisi has done it more than the president of the United State of America. We have a president who is fond of travelling and leaving Slumber Tsogwane in charge. How do you hope for the better if Tsogwane is in charge?
“Masisi has made promises in the 2019 general elections. Now he has to deliver but he cannot. Many Batswana who do not have a history of associating with the BDP voted for the BDP in 2019. Masisi has diverted from what he promised and Batswana are regretting trusting him in 2019 they now look up to us as opposition which means we have to act. This now leaves the ball in our court”, the BCP president said.
Saleshando stated that there cannot be any doubt that Botswana finds itself in dire straits. He said key performance indicators all point to a bad and deteriorating environment.
“Unemployment is on the rise, household incomes are shrinking on account of rising inflation, more people are falling into the poverty trap possibly at a faster rate than ever before while the youth, our most educated generation in the history of the country, face a bleak future that confines them to the margins of the economy.
“Our education sector is on its knees with public schools churning out more and more bad grades, rendering education ineffective in delivering children from poor households out of the jaws of poverty. The health sector is unable to meet the minimum requirements of its clients who simply need painkillers or hypertension medication”, Saleshando told the conference.
He indicated that as the economic woes escalate, corruption is also on the rise. According to Saleshando COVID19, related tenders proved to be the grand curtain raiser for ushering in corruption on a grand scale, blessed by the highest office in the land.
Saleshando told the conference that the DCEC, a statutory body created to tackle corruption has faced a systematic onslaught from the president who continuously removes from office those that are charged with heading the institution.
“The DIS has become a monster that we have always known it is capable of being. It respects no laws no institutions, and no court judgement. It has taken over the role of the police and arrests citizens who never get to be charged, installed itself as the body responsible for fighting corruption and decides on the allocation of the most lucrative tenders.
“The Republican president, the man who campaigned on a card of economic prosperity and rule of law, seems not bothered that the wheels are coming off”, the BCP leader lashed out.
He said today's graduates cannot find work because the current education system is not working in their favour and education has deteriorated. According to the BBCP leader who is also MP for Maun West, institutions like the Directorate of Intelligence and Security (DIS) do as they please because of the president. Saleshando told the BCP National Conference in Mahalapye that DIS has expropriated the work of all law enforcement agencies.
“The DIS is untouchable in all respects. It does not respect any institution of the government. They are the Botswana police, they arrest, investigate and prosecute but their prosecution rate is nil because we have not seen any case they successfully prosecuted. Currently, under Masisi we have a DIS which decides on the government tenders. They are meddling in the tenders”, Saleshando said.
He stated that President Masisi has spoken about the rule of law in his campaign message for the 2019 general elections but what obtains now is the opposite. He added that currently, President Masisi has fired the Director General of the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime three times in three years. Further that this development is the first of its kind.
“Even in terms of travelling, Masisi has done it more than the president of the United State of America. We have a president who is fond of travelling and leaving Slumber Tsogwane in charge. How do you hope for the better if Tsogwane is in charge?
“Masisi has made promises in the 2019 general elections. Now he has to deliver but he cannot. Many Batswana who do not have a history of associating with the BDP voted for the BDP in 2019. Masisi has diverted from what he promised and Batswana are regretting trusting him in 2019 they now look up to us as opposition which means we have to act. This now leaves the ball in our court”, the BCP president said.
Saleshando stated that there cannot be any doubt that Botswana finds itself in dire straits. He said key performance indicators all point to a bad and deteriorating environment.
“Unemployment is on the rise, household incomes are shrinking on account of rising inflation, more people are falling into the poverty trap possibly at a faster rate than ever before while the youth, our most educated generation in the history of the country, face a bleak future that confines them to the margins of the economy.
“Our education sector is on its knees with public schools churning out more and more bad grades, rendering education ineffective in delivering children from poor households out of the jaws of poverty. The health sector is unable to meet the minimum requirements of its clients who simply need painkillers or hypertension medication”, Saleshando told the conference.
He indicated that as the economic woes escalate, corruption is also on the rise. According to Saleshando COVID19, related tenders proved to be the grand curtain raiser for ushering in corruption on a grand scale, blessed by the highest office in the land.
Saleshando told the conference that the DCEC, a statutory body created to tackle corruption has faced a systematic onslaught from the president who continuously removes from office those that are charged with heading the institution.
“The DIS has become a monster that we have always known it is capable of being. It respects no laws no institutions, and no court judgement. It has taken over the role of the police and arrests citizens who never get to be charged, installed itself as the body responsible for fighting corruption and decides on the allocation of the most lucrative tenders.
“The Republican president, the man who campaigned on a card of economic prosperity and rule of law, seems not bothered that the wheels are coming off”, the BCP leader lashed out.
