The Alliance for Progressives (AP) blames the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) government for the escalating deaths due to COVID-19. According to AP, the government has done nothing worth noting in the fight against the pandemic. It seems like the government has no plan in the fight against COVID-19 according to AP.
“It is heart wrenching to watch as the Government continues to mishandle the COVID 19 crisis. Vaccination of citizens is terribly slow leading to countless deaths that could have been avoided. Lives that could have been saved continue to be lost. We dare say, that other than lockdowns, stopping sale of alcohol and the unconstitutional State of Public Emergency, there seems to be No plan to fight COVID 19. Worse still, the private sector has clearly been sidelined even after contributing millions of Pula at the start of the pandemic, Sadly and tragically so, up until today not a single thebe has been accounted for.” Dr. Phenyo Butale, the Secretary General of AP charged.
The AP expressed disappointment at how the government used the State of Public Emergency (SOE). The party is of the view that the SOE could have been used to upgrade and capacitate the health sector. To the disappointment of AP, nothing to that regard has been done. This is despite the money that was channelled towards the fight of the pandemic.
“Like many Batswana, we had hoped that the SOE (a record 17 months now), would be used to expand and upgrade our dilapidated hospitals, build oxygen plants and improve oxygen pressure at hospitals and put up temporary facilities fully equipped to help patients. Sadly, this has not happened and the state of our hospitals is as it were before COVID 19 hit us. We had hoped that medical equipmentโs would be supplied and that at the bare minimum frontline workers would have adequate supply of PPEs. This wasn’t to be, and the money that Parliament appropriated was seemingly misappropriated and not utilized optimally.” expressed Butale.
Shortage in Corona Virus Disease (COVID-19) vaccines is also blamed on the government. The AP accuses the government for making arrangements for vaccine late (this year), while other states did that last year.
AP was standing in solidarity with the teachers’ “No vaccine, No classes” campaign. The AP agrees with the educators that it is risky to go back to work without being vaccinated. “Re-opening schools is akin to a death sentence on teachers.” according to the AP..
