Boko tears into Alcohol Levy
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Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) and Botswana National Front (BNF) president, Duma Boko has said proceeds of the alcohol levy should have been used to construct drug and alcohol rehabilitation centres. The opposition leader further said President Dr Lt Gen Ian Khama has killed big business through the levy.
Speaking at a midweek political rally at the Gaborone bus rank, Boko said that it is difficult to see what the proceeds of the alcohol levy have been used for.
Boko dismissed the efficiency of the alcohol levy saying studies have shown that after the inception of the levy there was a momentary slump in barrels of liquor produced and consumed in the country as people were locked in the phase of readjusting budgets.
He said soon after, before anyone could figure out the accurate state of affairs, the consumption of alcohol in the country imploded and rocketed skywards, explaining that Batswana essentially consume liquor because of the contempt they have for Khama as they want to see what it is that Khama hates in liquor.
“Khama has taken away taste and mystique of the forbidden fruit and now Batswana want back the taste,” Boko interjected, before advancing reasoning that people use alcohol as a vehicle of socialisation.
Boko continued lampooning Khama for what he says is his obsession with control and command saying the real rationale for the alcohol levy was never about curbing rampant abuse but in point of fact the maintenance of a slush fund.
He continued accusing the Botswana Democratic Party for being jittery about initiating National Development Plan 11 describing the newly conceptualised Economic Stimulus Package as a slush fund that will jarringly be run parallel to the National Development Plan 11, meant only for the appropriation of control of state funds and mega projects by the BDP head honchos.
Boko also accused Khama of corruption saying that the UDC government will give him immunity from prosecution in the instance that he returns all that he took when he was in power including keys to the cave that he has in his possession before buttressing his resoluteness by saying that everyone who took anything in illicit ways will be forced to hand it over. “Everyone who took Batswana’s property will give everything back, we will follow everything up,” he said.
Boko said that the Asset and Proceeds of Crime Forfeiture law that has been recently enacted by the BDP government will be used on them. “We will trace the money. There is nothing easy as tracing money and its paper trail, its sources and the destinations.”
He went on to say that even if Khama skips the country they will kidnap him and bring him into the country the same way the Israeli foreign intelligence agency Mossad does, saying that it will automatically be lawful in the eyes of the international community in light of the gravity of the crimes committed.
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Malawi appeals for help over Cyclone Freddy at PAP
As of yesterday evening, the death toll from the Cyclone in Malawi had risen from the initially reported 190 to 225 in a short period of time, over 20 000 people have been displaced, and the worst of fears are yet to come as the fatalities continue to mount. This was reported by a Malawi Member of Parliament attending the Pan African Parliament session in Midrand, South Africa, Hon Steven Mikiya.
Mikiya was giving a statement on behalf of Malawi as the ongoing Pan African Parliament in South Africa.
Mikiya said the Cyclone has wreaked the most havoc in our country’s Southern Region. “The Southern Region, has been hardest hit with widespread heavy rains and strong winds. This caused a rapid rise in water levels and subsequent flooding. Meanwhile, power supply has been disrupted, roads blocked off and rendered impassable and mudslides have also been widely reported,” he said.
He made a special appeal to the PAP: “Where I come from, there is a parable which I would like to share with you which says, “mzako weniweni umamudziwa panthawi ya mavuto.” Simply put, a friend in need is a friend indeed or put loosely, a person who helps at a difficult time is a friend you can rely on.”
Mikiya continued: “Yes! Misfortune has knocked on our door and left in its wake a trail of death and destruction that may take years to fully recover from. However, amidst these difficulties, I have every reason to believe that sometimes when you are in a dark place and think you have been buried, you have actually been planted. My belief, Mr. President, arises out of my faith in this gathering and out of the conviction that it is not coincidental that Cyclone Freddy hit Malawi and Mozambique while the delegations of both countries are here.”
According to Mikiya, the level of destruction, the loss of life, property and the decimation of the entire fabric of established communities has been unprecedented. He noted that all this, is coming at a time when Malawi was starting to show signs of recovery from the deadly COVID-19 pandemic that also came hard on the heels of Cyclone Ana and Cyclone Gombe that left a similar trail of devastation and destruction in Malawi and neighbouring countries.
As of Sunday, this week, from the 12th of March, Malawi and Mozambique have been facing the devastating effects of Cyclone Freddy that made a landfall over Mozambique on Saturday the 11th and reached Malawi by Sunday the 12th of March.
The Malawi legislator said he has absolute faith in the Pan African Parliament, which he described as “a league of nations brought together by a shared ancestry, history, identity as well as our beloved continent which we inhabit”.
Meanwhile, Malawi President, Lazarus Chakwera, has declared a State of Disaster in the affected areas effectively appealing for local and international support for the affected families.
Mikiya appealed to the Pan African Parliament drawing “positive” inspiration from Europe which rallied around Turkey after the destructive earthquakes to bring the much-needed relief and humanitarian aid to the people of Turkey.
He said Africa should demonstrate to the world that the African Union and its Organs are not mere talk shows, but effective institutions which stand up when it matters most.
“Alone, it may take us a lifetime to fully recover, but together, in the Pan-Africanist spirit of Ubuntu, our lives and livelihoods will return to a semblance of normality in record time. This is the time to live by our operative mantra, “One Africa, One Voice.” Mikiya concluded.