BCP 2014 Manifesto Draft Final

instruction at entry levels; refocusing the curriculum to meet market needs and
improvement of the welfare of teachers as well as students will be given priority by
the BCP government.
Section 5 outlines the BCP strategy on land and housing. The BCP will deliver an
equitable land management and distribution program which shall confer same rights
and benefits to land owners. Land servicing shall be carried out on a massive scale
and by the end of the first five years in office, waiting periods for land allocation will
be reduced to only one year. Home ownership will be prioritized and in this regard,
first time home owners will be exempted from VAT when buying a house. The tenant
purchase scheme will be structured to make it easy for occupants of BHC houses
to acquire them.
Section 6 covers the health sector. We will promote the full implementation of
Primary Health Care and revert to the Alma Ata Declaration of 1978 to ensure a
health delivery system anchored on equity, accessibility, affordability and community
involvement. The BCP government will also pay particular attention to observance
of high standards of care in health facilities. Sexual reproductive health will be given
greater attention and HIV/AIDS interventions will be integrated into the health system
to avoid stigmatization.
Section 7 covers democracy and governance which spells out how the BCP
government will modernise Botswana’s democracy and make it open, accountable
and transparent. A Constitutional Review Commission shall be set up to review
the constitution and align it with international best practices on issues such as
separation of powers, powers of the President, independence of the Judiciary, and
independence of Parliament. We shall improve transparency and accountability in
Government by ensuring that appointment to oversight institutions is done with
the input of Parliament and that such bodies report directly to Parliament. Local
authorities will be transformed to afford them greater autonomy in decision-making.
Sections 8 and 9 are devoted to gender and youth issues respectively. Mainstreaming
gender and youth development in the political, economic, social and cultural life of
the country is a key priority in the BCP government’s development agenda. The BCP
will implement an affirmative action policy that shall ensure greater participation of
women and youth in decision-making and economic activities.
Section 10 outlines how the BCP government will deal with international relations
and international trade. The BCP will constitute a Ministry of Foreign Affairs and
International Trade. In this regard, our government will refocus the work of our
foreign missions to have a special bias towards opening up investment avenues for
Botswana businesses in the international community and attracting genuine Foreign
Direct Investment. Foreign missions will be staffed with fully resourced investment
experts who shall place Botswana as an investment destination of choice.
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BCP 2014-2019 MANIFESTO
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