18th May 2024
Sello Motseta
Despite the decision of the Botswana Police to refuse to provide police escorts for marchers, about 300 members of the Evangelical Fellowship of Botswana(EFB) marched around the city centre from Notwane grounds Saturday to protest the imposition of unilateral amendments to constitution.
“The proposed Bill suggests the President personally selects 10 specially elected members of Parliament. It dilutes our Parliamentary democracy because 16% of the legislature are appointed by 1 man,” said Kgosietsile Senne, an elder of the Apostolic Faith Mission(AFM).
He said, “The constitutional amendments propose that President also elects 10 members of the House of Chiefs and they will come from regions not our tribal settings. There is a possibility that there will be no Paramount Chief in the House of Chiefs.”
Kgosietsile Senne maintained that inter sex is a disability like Albino’s and should be a stand alone issue in the constitution. He supported calls by the House of chiefs for issue to be referred to a referendum for deliberation before being promulgated into law.
There have also been concerns expressed on the influence Office of the President will have on the appointment of Judges.
“In the past judges applied for positions of judges with the Judicial Services Commission(JSC) and it recommended names to the President. Now it is being proposed that President recommends 3 names to Judicial services Commission(JSC) and it identifies 2 for appointment,” observed Senne.
Marchers believe the Constitutional(Amendment) Bill 2024, no 4 of 2024 will have far reaching and unprecedented consequences for the lives of Batswana and their decades old democracy. Batswana believe they have a right to contribute to the second republican people driven constitution.
Amongst the proposals in the Constitution mooted include changes to the election of Specially Elected Members of Parliament from 6 to 10 by the President, the reconstitution of the House of Chiefs and an increase of appointments of specially elected chiefs from 5 to 10 and changes in the appointments of judges giving the President more discretionary powers.
“The purpose of this march was to state our position as a church on constitutional amendments publicly that we against a rushed approached to constitutional amendments. It is first post independence constitutional review and it needs to be inclusive as much as possible,” said Pastor Pulafela Siele, Chairperson of the Evangelical Fellowship of Botswana chapter of Gaborone and Associate Pastor of Assemblies of God in Gaborone.
He said, “It is not a one man show. The constitution belongs to Batswana and they should take part in shaping their future. Constitutional review Commission was appointed by one person the President and recommendations were shaped to his liking. We are saying No.””
