Nkange MP says the amendment violated Standing Orders and distorted what he intended by the motion The MP for Nkange, Motlhaleemang Moalosi, has lodged a formal complaint against the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, Helen Manyeneng, for allegedly violating Standing Order 47.2 by allowing an amendment that purportedly altered the original intention of his motion completely. At issue is that the motion, Parliament adopted the motion inspite of his objections after it was amended by the Assistant Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, Keoagile Atamelang. Moalosi holds that the amendment not only distorted the thrust of his purpose but was also procedurally flawed, prompting his protest to the Clerk of the National Assembly and the Business Advisory Committee.
The MP maintains that the Deputy Speaker should not have permitted the amendment because it effectively turned his motion into something that he did not recognise. He has threatened to withdraw the motion if his complaint is not addressed. In a letter addressed to the Clerk of the National Assembly and copied to the Business Advisory Committee (BAC), Moalosi requests a review of the Deputy Speaker’s decision.
He argues that Deputy Speaker allowed the amendment to pass despite a point of order that he raised that was supported by the opposition whip Caterpillar Hikuama to highlight contravention of Standing Order 47.2. Moalosi’s original motion had called on government to create a software development hub at the University of Botswana (UB) based on a proposal drafted by UB’s Department of Computer Science. However, he asserts that the amendment tabled by Atamelang framed the issue differently.
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The MP says in its amended form, the motion states that UB, in its quest to become a self-funding High-Performance Organisation (HPO), had proposed using its existing staff, graduates, undergraduates students and computing resources that it currently has to create a software development hub or Botswana Innovation Hub. In his letter to the Clerk of the National Assembly, Moalosi argues that altering the essence of his motion not only breaches parliamentary procedure but also sends a troubling message to the nation.
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