President Duma Boko has strongly criticized lawmakers for failing to prioritize legislation that improves the ease of doing business in Botswana. Speaking at the ongoing High-Level Business Engagement Forum in Gaborone, he urged the business community to hold their representatives accountable for their inaction.
“I want you to put pressure on your MPs and say, ‘the reason we are in this quagmire is because you are not doing your job; not passing laws that make it easy for us to do business,’” Boko stated.
He expressed frustration over what he described as excessive grandstanding and misplaced priorities in Parliament. According to him, many legislators focus on political theatrics rather than fulfilling their core responsibility of drafting and passing laws that create a conducive business environment.
“You see a lot of showboating taking place on the floor of Parliament, a lot of grandstanding, a lot of intellectual vacuity, people not doing what they’re supposed to do,” he said.
Boko further criticized MPs for spending disproportionate amounts of time asking questions and moving motions that do little to address pressing economic and business challenges. He mocked the focus on trivial issues, such as inquiries about school infrastructure repairs, instead of addressing legislative gaps that could drive economic growth.
“They spend 90% of their time in Parliament asking questions, saying, ‘when is that window at Mogoditshane Senior Secondary going to be fixed?’ You have brought this to Parliament about a window? My goodness! I have called it ‘time theft,’” he remarked.
The President emphasized that lawmakers should focus on enacting policies that streamline business operations, attract investment, and stimulate economic growth. He argued that their primary role is to create laws that bind the Executive and shape the country’s development trajectory, rather than getting entangled in minor administrative issues that could be resolved by relevant government departments.
His remarks have sparked discussions on the efficiency of Botswana’s legislative processes and whether Parliament is effectively serving the interests of businesses and economic progress.
