The newly elected Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) appears to be backing down on the lofty promises it made to voters during its election campaign, the Leader of the Opposition (LOO) in Parliament, Dumelang Saleshando has observed.
Saleshando, who also leads the opposition Botswana Congress Party (BCP), was responding to the State of the Nation Address (SONA) delivered by newly elected President Duma Boko.
Saleshando expressed disappointment at the absence of key campaign pledges from the SONA, including the introduction of a P4,000 minimum wage and the creation of half a million jobs. Additional promises, such as reducing the pension age and significantly increasing allowances—including raising the old-age pension to P1,800 and boosting student stipends—were also missing.
He described these “signature pledges” as central to the UDC’s electoral victory and lamented their omission, particularly in terms of timelines and deliverables.
“When making these promises, the UDC was fully aware of the country’s economic challenges, including declining diamond revenues and sluggish economic growth,” Saleshando noted.
“You made those promises knowing there is no money. A manifesto is a social contract, and you have to deliver on it. Looking at the SONA, you have forgotten these pledges,” the LOO added.
However, Saleshando commended Boko for presenting a 100-day plan, describing it as unprecedented in Botswana politics. He pledged that the BCP would allow Boko a grace period during these 100 days.
“We will give him these 100 days to deliver on his promises in Parliament. The UDC says the BCP is overly critical, so we will give him space. We will meet on the 101st day, and there will be no excuses to hide behind,” Saleshando said.
Drawing comparisons, Saleshando reminded legislators that the BCP had been the only political party during the election campaign to outline a 100-day plan should it assume power. This included reducing unnecessary expenditure and improving government efficiency, such as downsizing the number of cabinet ministers.
“The UDC has the maximum number of cabinet members allowed. We planned to immediately stop constituency and ward allowances for the President, Specially Elected Members of Parliament (SEMP), and nominated councillors,” he said.
On curbing corruption, Saleshando highlighted BCP’s proposals, which included restoring the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Board (PPADB) with full procurement powers, canceling the development manager model, establishing a Judicial Commission of Inquiry into corruption, and legislating the declaration of interests, income, assets, and liabilities for public officials to promote transparency.
Acknowledging the BCP’s opposition status, Saleshando stressed that the party still has a significant role to play in Parliament. “Within these first 100 days, Members of Parliament (MPs) from the BCP will declare their assets and liabilities to the relevant office,” he revealed.
He further committed the BCP to pushing for key motions, including establishing a Judicial Commission of Inquiry to investigate alleged corruption in the previous government, recovering looted assets, and reinstating the Public Sector Bargaining Council—an issue absent from the SONA.
While Saleshando highlighted areas of agreement with the UDC, such as the importance of a high minimum wage and job creation, he acknowledged differences in their approach.
“Currently, 280,000 Batswana are unemployed, and when we talk of a new Botswana, these people hope they will finally get jobs. The BCP committed to creating 300,000 jobs in five years, compared to the UDC’s pledge of 450,000 to 500,000 jobs. We agree on job creation’s importance, and we will continue to remind you of the number of jobs you have promised Batswana. We also agree on a high minimum-wage economy but differ in approach. Our manifesto focused on building up the economy over five years to afford the proposed minimum wage, whereas the UDC claimed this was achievable immediately,” he explained.
Saleshando argued that with a 27 percent unemployment rate, increasing the minimum wage to P4,000 without addressing the oversupply of labor would be ineffective.
“Basic economics tells us that when there is an oversupply of any good or service, its price goes down. If you believe that with that unemployment rate, the P4,000 minimum wage is possible, we will support you, even if we do not understand this, because we both agree on it. It is only that our approach was different,” he said with a touch of sarcasm.
He warned that failure to address unemployment could lead to the creation of a black labor market, characterised by informal or illegal employment arrangements outside formal regulations.
On corruption, Saleshando urged the new government to act swiftly and decisively.
“Corruption does not have a crime scene. By making excuses about being new and still settling in, evidence will vanish. To be so close to the Directorate of Intelligence and Security (DIS), which aided and abetted corruption in the previous regime, is worrying Batswana. Please be proactive on this; every day that passes, those who looted have an undeserved day of freedom,” he said.
He emphasised that with the power and resources at its disposal, the UDC must demonstrate decisive action in addressing corruption.
