The main opposition in Botswana blames the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) for the dreadful living conditions which Batswana find themselves in.
According to the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC), “The current state of unhappiness and disgruntlement is a result of toxic mix of corruption, governance failure and laws that are introduced to disempower citizens of this country.”
UDC said this noting the strike by Combi and Taxi operators yesterday. The operators had embarked on a strike to show unhappiness on inflated service fees by the Department of Road Transport and Security, and excessive increases in fuel prices.
“The Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) has noted the suspended public transporters strike over high fuel prices and transport levies. We applaud the operators for the decision to suspend the strike and hope that their grievances will be addressed. These recent increases are unreasonable and unfair. Fuel has been increased more than four times this year, sparking a rise in inflation. It is crucial in the logistics space and any increase in its price will obviously affect prices of goods and services. As a result, it is the poor who suffer most.” the UDC asserted.
The UDC also noted how the BDP government also “unreasonably and unfairly” increased a number of transport levies. UDC says all these increases come at a cost that the nation has to carry “due to BDP corruption and mismanagement of national resources.” The BDP government has always been blamed for National Petroleum Fund (NPF) funds embezzlement. The critics say that the funds that got stolen could be cushioning the nation against the worldwide increase in oil prices.
Apart from fuel prices increase, Value Added Tax (VAT) was increased, that along with several taxes and levies, while others were also introduced. According to the UDC, these are burdening the ordinary citizens, but the BDP does not care as the are not affected.
“In our manifesto we promise to build an economy that works for all. The current state of unhappiness and disgruntlement is a result of toxic mix of corruption, governance failure and laws that are introduced to disempower citizens of this country. Batswana are currently in a worsening state of poverty and high youth unemployment due to these ill conceived BDP policies. On the other hand, the BDP leaders and their cronies are not affected by these successive fuel increases as they enjoy incentives, benefits and exclusive tenders that cushion them from the impact of these increases.’ the UDC condemned.
While the operators has suspended the strike, the UDC urge the BDP government to “honestly and urgently resolve the issues raised by the public transport operators.” UDC appreciates that the suspension of the strike indicates willingness on the side of the operators to reach an amicable solution.
