Our daily lives have turned upside down and have become dysfunctional. The present moment is marked by a steep slide in all areas of life and all indications are that things will proceed from bad to worse. Our status in international rankings continues to plummet. The future looks bleak amid a terminal feeling of malaise.
The ruling BDP has turned the country into a miserable farmyard and it would seem that they are either least bothered or have no clue what to do to steady the ship and actuate economic recovery through alternative economic models.
The BDP seems to have run out of ideas and all they are left with is to harp on the past by congratulating themselves for transforming Botswana from being one of the least developed countries in the world to a middle income country. Yet, the intractable economic problems and the continued decline in the quality of life have remodeled the ruling BDP leaders as just over-glorified little men dressed in style to deceive.
That the BDP has little prospects for self-renewal is an understatement. The ruling BDP is like a battered socks whose real condition is hidden by the stunning appearance of over-polished ancient boots.
While the BDP could not publicly admit to their deficiencies, they did somewhat concede when they brought in an amateur from the military – Ian Khama, the likeable son of Botswana’s founding president. Ian Khama was thought to possess unique attributes and/or an extra special name that symbolizes values and principles inherent in selfless, visionary leadership.
Historically, the Khamas come from a lineage characterized by men of integrity, wisdom and honor. So when the BDP realized that they have run out of ideas and the economy feeling the pinch of a divided and sluggish ruling elite, they convinced a military General to quit the army and join politics to rescue his father’s party and hopefully unite the nation.
The supposed savior who ostensibly knew how to turn the charm took full control of the party and national affairs and for over 20 years we remained hopeful that the special one would succeed in reforming and repositioning the BDP to effectively run the country.
However, the BDP and Botswana’s problems would worsen to a point where in 2005 former BDP Secretary General Daniel Kwelagobe expressed worry at the instability of the ruling party and revealed that they were sending a delegation of elders from Molepolole to meet President Mogae and his Vice President Khama.
For the same reason, in 2014, speaking at the African Leadership Forum in Tanzania, former President Festus Mogae publicly acknowledged that Botswana was regressing, accusing then President Dr Khama of disrespecting the rule of law. Thus, the BDP’s downward trend commenced trend commenced long time and has become fashionable and the best practice from which other dying parties could learn.
It is little wonder that at the end of the messiah’s term as both the party and state president, the ruling BDP was in its worst shape after it experienced its first ever split under his watch. Likewise, the redeemer bequeathed to us a nation divided right in the middle and an economy on its knees.
In short, the ruling BDP and Botswana at large have gone from bad to worse and like addicts of Jonny Walker’s bywords – Keep Walking, the foremen keep walking and plunging the country into an abyss of rot. For all intents and purposes, the ruling party has lost appeal with voters and has resorted to use of brute force against defenseless citizens
On the other hand, we have an opposition collective that entered the political scene with pomp and splendor of a likeable pole dancer taking to the stage. The landing of the UDC coincided with a changing public mood for regime change as the they generated a huge surge of support for the opposition and for a while, the UDC has its fingers on the pulse of public mood.
That was until the UDC allowed the pull of power to wield its own magic and became too desperate and impatient for state power. In what seems to be a case of borrowing from the ruling BDP’s playbook, the opposition resorted to petty and dirty politics of indulging in the debasement of opponents.
Their determination to turn up the heat and have the BDP under constant pressure caused the UDC to play polarizing politics mocking and ridiculing the BDP as a sanctuary for thieves and drug lords.
The energized and aggressive opposition collective adopted campaign tactics that demonized the ruling party and fomented outrage by cat-calling and shaming while also using extreme rhetoric that poisoned local political discourse. In their endeavor to up the ante, political disagreements were conveniently turned into trivialities about a person’s character as they sought to tear down opponents.
Political debates have waned and collegiality amid policy disagreement and the normal differences of opinion inherent in party politics given way to political hostilities characterized by inflammatory rhetoric with the potential to crush dialogue and freedoms of expression. Heckling, contempt and abuse has become a fashion, resulting in a vitriolic political atmosphere in which we even challenge the right of others to exist.
The reality though is that toxic politics causes intolerance for they are intended to incubate personal animosity between members of political parties. With toxic politics, effective politics has to be emotional hence the need to consistently fan the flames for political passion and extravagant anger.
Such an approach does work to some extent, especially with the youth but need to be operationalized taking cognizant of how different age groups engage with politics. For instance, mature voters find vulgar politics distasteful.
While people are entitled to be angry especially those who believe that the corrupt culture of the BDP is beyond treatment, there is still need for arguments to be tolerant to appeal sitters who still have to decide about their vote.
The pouting petulance of some of the leaders of the UDC, their showboating and sneering depict them as people who are frustrated by the delay to capture the royal seat and do not know which way to turn.
Not only has toxic politics made people lose trust in the opposition, it actually made them lose trust in politics generally because they reckon that the BDP has run out of ideas and the opposition has lost direction. Indeed it is true that the left has always been held to higher moral standards hence they are vulnerable to self-righteous attitudes which make them prone to flatter and shooting themselves in the foot.
However, what is not in doubt is the ability of the opposition collective to check the excesses of the ruling BDP, through scrutinizing policy proposals that would have come to haunt the nation if they had been passed in their original form. This is what still makes some of us overawed by the UDC and other opposition formations.
Given this scenario, and that the UDC has substantially captured the public mood, the collective must reassess its campaign tactics in such a way that they remain aggressive while avoiding dirty politics that makes one feel good while alienating potential voters.
The balance of power has tilted in favor of the opposition. It only requires the UDC to revert to its bread and butter politics and this should be the least of troubles because they know why they lost direction.
Looking back, we can confidently assert that the influx of runaway brides, bridegrooms and bride maids from the BDP and by those getting into politics only to avoid becoming fugitives from justice marked the turning point in the UDC’s politics.
At the risk of inviting abuse from intolerant scumbags, it is in order to state that the opposition has morphed into a ragtag of malcontents from the ruling party whose motive is to use opposition politics to get at those who caused them to flee.
These renegades have landed in the opposition like privileged clones from a different planet, riding on a tidal wave that pushed aside substance and reduced politics to personal potshots. With the increasing influence of the snowflake generation and flamboyant mass of fugitives in opposition politics, there is more toxic commentary and arguing than ever before and this makes politics dirtier as to alienate many voters.
Going forward, the opposition must find itself, listen to the voters and to the extent possible, shed its image of a shambolic ragtag of fugitives. They have got to tidy their house if they want to win back public trust and win state power as early as tomorrow.
Failure to refashion themselves will see them become just a public tool for the use by aliens to shame others and showcase lack of manners in a way that will keep our country in the hands of time-honored bandits.
Happy holidays folks and Keep Walking in the right direction!
