Honestly, I have never seen a man who gets so worked up the way President Ian Khama does every time he is called to account for his administration’s blunders. This son of Seretse and Ruth abhors responsibility so much it has now shifted from being worrisome to completely sickening. Every time our president is asked to account, he gets so angry you would even think he has been insulted. When my son was three years of age, he would break a cup and when I ask him why he let the cup slip through his hands, he would cry so much if you entered the house you would wrongfully accuse me of having pinched the poor little soul. It was understandable. His wailing was justifiable. At the age of three, kids cannot and should not be made to account for their wrongs. They are not responsible for their actions. They are just that; kids. My boy is now ten years old and when he breaks a cup in the house, he no longer cries when I take him to task. He takes responsibility and accounts for his actions. He apologises and explains that the cup fell from his hands by mistake because he probably was not holding firmly to it.
You see, my ten year old son takes responsibility and accounts for his actions. This is why President Khama’s behaviour comes as a shock to my system because, if a ten year old boy does not have qualms accounting for his actions, then an elderly man who is mandated with taking care of over two million people should readily know that his role comes with responsibility and accountability. I was shocked when weekend newspapers reported President Khama as having labeled those who are calling for his government to account for the tragic and painful deaths of Matsha students disrespectful and ill-mannered. At times you just want to force yourself into believing some of the statements attributed to our president are just lies. You just want to say to yourself “ba akela ngwana wa ga Seretse”. But then again, with Khama you can never say never. His situation is not helped by the national television which follows him around and broadcasts his somewhat irresponsible and reckless statements. Seven young lives have perished in a road traffic accident and when the nation seeks an explanation, the head of the State, the number one citizen, labels those who are inquisitive ill-mannered. I mean really! What leader says that to a bereaved nation? What leader accuses a mourning nation for asking questions about the deaths of young innocent school kids? On second thought though, you cannot completely blame Khama for making such statements. Batswana in general have this twisted belief that it is wrong to ask the elders to account for their actions, no matter how detrimental those actions may be to their lives. What is wrong with asking Khama, as the supposedly father of the nation, to account for the deaths of those future leaders and the maiming of their surviving colleagues? A loving and caring leader would not have used the occasion of the memorial service held in honour of the departed students to lambast those who put blame squarely on his government’s door step.
All that the president was supposed to do was to comfort the families of the deceased and plead for calm while assuring the nation that his government will get to the bottom of this horrific incident. It is surprising that while the Police have not yet established who is to be held responsible for this tragic accident, the President on the other hand is already making pronouncements that border on absolving his government from blame. This casual and insensitive approach by the president to such a catastrophic accident must be frowned upon. This is not the time for Khama to engage in freedom square sparring with his detractors from the opposition. Khama needs to rise above petty, partisan behaviour with his statements that do not build or help heal the nation but only fuel the already existing animosity among our people. It is so painful to learn that even Khama’s lieutenants in parliament are offended by those who are seeking explanations from government on the Matsha accident. One BDP Member of Parliament reportedly made a very silly comment when this issue was being discussed in parliament. He is said to have asked leader of opposition Duma Boko why he is incensed by this accident as if accidents will never happen should he become president. What a load of bull dung! Even before we can get answers as to why those students were transported in an open truck normally used to ferry cattle, we now learn students who went to the funeral of one of the deceased were also transported in a similar mode of transport. Yep! Seven students died while being transported in a truck and government officials still found nothing wrong with transporting the surviving students in yet another truck to attend the funeral. I give up on Khama and his government. Well, not really. I will not stop writing until our leaders get it in their brains that leadership comes with accountability.
Twitter:@kuvuki
