It is difficult to provide a factual analysis in terms of percentages of how many Batswana are disillusioned with His Excellency the President Dr M.E.K. Masisi’s administration. But it is fair to say that notwithstanding, a good number of Batswana are showing high levels of disillusionment and despondency towards the President. I have argued in the recent past that consequent to the prevailing state of affairs, the arguably overwhelming goodwill he received from the wider population has, or is dissipating at the speed of light. The President is viewed as a dishonest person who is failing to walk the talk by implementing the electoral promises he promised during the 2019 general election. Mid-way his term, he has not come close to showing signs let alone implementing the said electoral promises. People who were very vocal in supporting him feel utterly disappointed if not betrayed.
The obvious scapegoat for the President’s poor performance so far is attributed to the emergence of Covid-19 pandemic. While I cannot for a second dispute the impact of the pandemic on the overall socio-economic ramifications on one hand, it has on the other become the convenient escape route for sheer incompetence-cum-failure. In equal measure, I would argue that even if the pandemic had not emerged, Botswana would possibly be where she is or worse off. The President’s political party, the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) has been in power for over half a century. A convenient line is always preferred to suggest the BDP the President now leads is a born again party different from the previous BDP if you like. Nothing is far from the truth. The truth of the matter is that owing to its false pretence that no other political party can rule the country probably better, the BDP has increasingly and over time, become so complacent and arrogant to the extent of taking the country men and women for granted. Serious instances of the lack of The Rule of Law and the selective justice I continue to witness cannot by any wild imagination be attributed to Covid-19 pandemic. Lack of the political will to meaningfully deal with runaway corruption has been in existence before the President assumed power and continues to be the case as I write. Political rhetoric instead of tangible and sustainable plans to create decent jobs has been with this country for time immemorial long before the advent of the pandemic. The political rhetoric over tangible and sustainable plans to take the country forward should surely bring disillusion of some sort.
The mismanagement of the pandemic has brought untold suffering to the ordinary Motswana in many respects one can think of. It is not about the pandemic per se but how minimally the impact it could bring upon citizens. Many Batswana particularly those at the lower end of the socio-economic value chain have borne the brunt of the pandemic mismanagement compounded by the restrictions of the Emergency Powers Act. If one looks at how the alcohol issue was handled relative to the dire consequences such mishandling could bring, it is fair to suggest it was not only poorly handled but badly handled. This because government failed in large measure to ensure that all Covid-19 protocols are followed by all including the alcohol value chain. In any event, the State of Public Emergency (SOPE) was partly secured to deal with the enforcement of its regulations recognising that could not be easily achieved in the absence of SOPE. It is the duty of government to do so. A government that blames its citizens for violating the law when it has a fundamental duty to ensure the law is not violated is incompetent. To turn around and blame citizens for not complying with the health protocols when government has dismally failed to ensure enforcement of the same is tantamount to hiding behind a figure. As a consequence and like KBL (limited) has said, 50,000 jobs are on the line with 200,000 dependent individuals at the brink of starvation.
At the beginning of the SOPE, it was announced by government that no one will lose their jobs through retrenchments or any other form of dismissals. This was a contradictory message where on one hand, it implied that no employer could retrench or dismiss employees under whatever circumstances. On the other, it was said employers could undertake to retrench or dismiss employees where business could not afford them due to operational reasons. The Minister of Employment has just announced that about 390 bank employees have lost their jobs. One would have expected him to have released a full report on employment status obtaining from the Covd-19 era. I want to believe the overall joblessness figures during the SOPE are far too high and embarrassing to release particularly after saying no such job losses will occur during the pandemic. Surely those who have suffered the unfortunate fate of job losses during the pandemic should feel justified to be disillusioned.
The President’s administration has elicited a lot of discontent from the fact that government has all of a sudden become an estate agent or a hospitality agency wherein she has gone on a rampage to acquire property under dubious reasoning as to why this is so. If it wasn’t for the opposition, Batswana may very well have been unaware that government has bailed out one of their own by buying his property in the form of Tautona Lodge for P 58 million. To the ordinary Motswana like me, the immediate question is: why would so much money be spent on a property when nurses and doctors do not have adequate personal protective equipment amongst others to be able to effectively look after me and you when we become infected and ravaged by Covid-19 virus. Bear in mind that the President has repeatedly said his main priority as at this point in time is to fight against the pandemic. By implication, going into the rampage of acquiring property under dubious circumstances would be the last thing from government given the main priority of fighting against the pandemic. No wonder the Sunday Standard is reporting in its latest edition that about a thousand people may have, or have actually succumbed to the pandemic due to the negligence of the Ministry of Health and Wellness on one hand and its war with the Presidential Covid-19 Task Force on the other. Why should Batswana not be disillusioned?
There is also the question of selective justice that has become the modus operandi of the Masisi administration. Assistant Minister Lelatisitswe has just been suspended for violating one of the Covid-19 regulations. When Minister Rakgare did the same back then, nothing material to him was done. Minister Balopi and others were caught on camera violating the same Covid-19 regulations at the funeral of a BDP member. Nothing as well came his way. Member of Parliament Mr Majaga was suspended from the BDP for a period exceeding one month because he had a case to answer in court. Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Mr Moatlhodi is exactly in the same position as did Magaga yet, the President is not acting against him. Wouldn’t Batswana be disillusioned?
All in all, it is fair to suggest some Batswana are disillusioned with the way things unfold in this country. Of particular importance will be those whose livelihoods have been seriously impacted by amongst others, decisions taken during the SOPE with respect to fighting Covid-19 pandemic. I cannot dispute the fact that the pandemic stood to harm individuals and the country in one form or the other. It is about whether the harm was meaningfully mitigated all things considered. I don’t think so. Issues of corruption; loss of jobs and by extension loss of income; the inability of government to enforce the health protocols resulting in large sectors like KBL (Ltd) to almost come to its knees; the inability to meaningfully reform the health infrastructure, stand out.
I accept individuals had to play their part and cannot be absolved. But at the end of the day, the buck stops firmly at the door of government when things go horribly wrong. In any case, Batswana have delegated the privilege to govern to those exercising public power. Government must enjoy and claim success when things go right and must equally be the first to acknowledge failure when the same go horribly wrong. And not because pressure for not doing so is exerted from whatever quarter as it appears to be the case. I hold the view that Batswana are justified to be disillusioned with the Masisi administration. Judge for Yourself!
Notwithstanding the above, ‘No one is safe until everyone is safe.’ Kindly comply with all Covid-19 protocols. It is our civic duty to do so.
