Listening to General Mompati Merafhe and Phandu Skelemani dismissing the Zimbabwean election as free, peaceful but unfair, you could see hypocrisy written all over their faces. “Look at who is talking!” one could not help but retort. All indications are that Robert Mugabe and ZANU-PF manipulated the election process in their favour. The Electoral Commission was a fraud, the voter registration process was flawed, the campaign was lopsided and ZANU-PF abuse of state resources was as blatant as it was flagrant.
In the Zimbabwe election, fairness was never intended and it was never going to be reflected in the outcome. Likewise in Botswana, the elections have been free, peaceful but all ten of them without exception, have never passed the fairness test. Fairness is about a level playing field where all players have equal opportunities and access to resources that help win the elections. ZANU-PF, like BDP, knows full well that their unfettered access and abuse of state radio and television is an unfair but sure way of securing victory at the election. ZANU-PF and BDP have both unfairly used state media as propaganda organs for their parties.
The two parties which are essentially ‘Siamese twins’ have also perfected the skill of using state resources and institutions to boost their campaigns. During the elections, they concoct all manner of unsustainable vote-buying programs and schemes to pacify voters at heavy cost to the economy and the national treasury. As all would know, in Botswana during elections, it is not uncommon for people to be given goats, donkeys, shirts, blankets, radios and lately soup dished by President Khama himself. In Zimbabwe, it is mainly the increased supply of mealie-meal to the rural folks. Yes, if there is a circus in Zimbabwe, there is also a circus here in Botswana.
Unfairness is central to the success of ZANU-PF and BDP. Where does the BDP Government get the moral authority to condemn ZANU-PF of unfair electoral practices when its electoral victories are a product of unfairness? If ZANU-PF’s victory is illegitimate on account of electoral unfairness, then the BDP victories are also illegitimate for the same reason. If according to Skelemani and Merafhe, the Zim poll should be audited; their party’s electoral victories also require the same audit. Simply put, the BDP Government has no right or qualification to teach Zimbabwe about fairness in an election, when they have failed for fifty years to deliver an equitable and fair electoral system in Botswana.
Instead of shouting from roof-tops, poking noses on Zimbabwe, laughing at the circus and pretending to be holier than thou, the BDP Government should concentrate on transforming the electoral system at home. The electoral commission should be removed from the stranglehold of the Office of the President. The appointment of commissioners must be open and transparent. The appointment of the Secretary of the Commission should be above board. The Electoral Commission should be given the resources to educate people and run elections. Officers of the IEC should be accountable to the Commission and not the Directorate of Public Service Management. The IEC should be thoroughly independent and free from manipulation and control by governments and its agents. Fairness in an election starts with a fair and Independent electoral commission.
Instead of throwing mud at the Zimbabwe elections, the BDP Government must set out on a path of campaign finance reform. The resource imbalance between the BDP and other parties create an environment of unfairness in the electoral landscape of Botswana. Big business bankrolls the BDP at every election in exchange for lucrative favours while the opposition is financially fatigued. State funding of political parties and regulation of donor financing is imperative for fairness in the electoral process. Bashing ZANU-PF without reforming our backyard does not make our elections any better than those of Zimbabwe. The same charge sheet crafted by Skelemani and Merafhe can be used against the BDP Government.
Mugabe and ZANU-PF abuse state broadcaster so does General Khama and the BDP. News headlines on BTV feature General Khama as a matter of routine and Mugabe indulges in the same practice with similar intensity. If Skelemani and Merafe, representing the Government think it is unfair to use state broadcasters for spewing ruling party propaganda, they should advise General Khama and Masisi against such a practice. For our elections to be fair, all political players must be given sufficient airtime to articulate their vision. State broadcasters must be transformed into public broadcasters with an independent board that has editorial independence. Television and radio programming that is left to the whims of ruling party politicians is bound to be unfair and biased. This must change.
As the 2014 General elections approach, the unfairness of Botswana’s electoral system will unfold. Mugabe will be watching and as one who is never short of some fancy vocabulary, he will pass his verdict on Khama and the BDP. It is a messy scenario where unfair regimes trade insults on who is more unfair than the other. Unfairness in the elections creates apathy, resentment and cynicism.
Unfairness in elections may also lead to loss of faith in politics and democracy. It alienates people from the voting process and creates some form of anti-democratic fundamentalism. We should not allow ourselves to get to that stage. We owe it to posterity to entrench fairness in our electoral process.
*Lucas is BCP Information and Publicity Secretary
