Kabo Ngwanaamotho

Botswana not ready for direct election of president – Daniel Kwelagobe
OLIVER MODISE
Correspondent

mmegi mobileDaniel Kwelagobe

Minister of Presidential Affairs and Public Administration, Daniel ‘DK’ Kwelagobe has indicated that the country is not yet ready to introduce the direct election of the president and funding of political parties.

Kwelagobe was responding to MPs’ comments on a bill he tabled in Parliament to amend the Electoral Act.

He said that he has noticed that MPs especially from the opposition want proportional representation and direct election of the president to enrich Botswana’s democracy. He said such major changes would require the ruling party to look at its policies as well as to make further consultations.

Kwelagobe criticised suggestions that Botswana should copy from neighbouring countries to enrich its democracy. He said that some electoral reforms that have been introduced in the country have not been beneficial.

He cited the lowering of the voting age from 21 years to 18 years and said that this change targeting the youth has not been beneficial as statistics indicate that young people do not vote.

He stated that reforms to allow citizens outside the country to register and vote has been unsuccessful as many Batswana hardly bother about elections. “A lot of them don’t register even where we have embassies,” he saidHe challenged suggestions that the BDP government was doing things at a snail’s pace or piecemeal to level the political playing field.

“We can’t rush to change everything,” he said.He added that for the time being,government is going to introduce electoral reforms step by step. He ruled out suggestions by Gaborone South MP, Akanyang Magama who said the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) be given the mandate of demarcating constituencies. Kwelagobe stated that if IEC took over the role of the Delimitation Commission, its mandate of administering elections might be compromised.

“We will be destroying IEC and its integrity,” he said.The minister ruled out the possibility of prisoners being allowed to vote. He said allowing inmates to vote might entail logistical support, which the prisons department does not have.He said that by going to jail, offenders were surrendering not only their liberty but other rights including the right to register and vote.