MPs Answer To The Electorate
What happened in Parliament on Friday when viewed from different angles may leave many taking sides on the issue. A normal person will agree that Members of Parliament (MPs) were very much in the right to demand answers from the Minister of Presidential Affairs, Governance and Public Administration, Kabo Morwaeng concerning the recent ‘secretive’ interzonal lockdown imposed just before the Easter Holidays.
While there has previously been clear communication on dates when a lockdown would commence and end, this time around it was not the case. There was a statement released just before the Easter Holidays, which was a bit vague. It seemed to suggest that movement will be restricted, but it did not clearly state if travel between zones would not be permitted.
The statement released by the government on March 30, 2021 read in part: “In order to curb the spread of COVID-19 and the resulting deaths, movement of people during the Easter Holidays will be restricted.”
Now you see, restricted and not allowed are two different things. The statement suggested that movement would be restricted, but not closing down completely. Just before the Easter Holidays, the Online Permit Application portal was down. Those who had applied to go on leave way before the Easter Holidays struggled and are still struggling to return to their workstations. This is because the permit system was not working and there was no communication as to where exactly they could go for their 24-hour permits.
As would be expected, MPs as the representatives of the people must have been inundated with calls from their constituents wanting to know what was going on. The legislators were within their rights to ask for an address from the relevant authorities. In return, they too would be able to give their constituents accurate answers. Alas, it was indeed disappointing for a whole minister not to find the need to keep the house informed and by extension, the nation at large.
We know that the government is faced with a mammoth task of containing the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19). All of us have been affected and we totally agree with government that it should do whatever it takes to curb the spread of this deadly virus.
But it should be done in an honest and transparent manner. Many people are suffering as a result of the aftermath brought about by the outbreak of COVID-19; some have had to close down their businesses while others have lost their jobs. The nation needs to know how the vaccine is going to be rolled out because right now it looks like decisions are made as ‘we go’ without a precise plan.