The Botswana Congress Party (BCP) vice president, Kesitegile Gobotswang, came out swinging at a rally held at the Gaborone Bus Rank on Wednesday.
Gobotswang rubbished President Ian Khama’s populist policies, saying that the BCP has more at heart for the ordinary Motswana than Khama does.
Gobotswanag said public funds are being used for unproductive purposes, such as the constituency league games and agriculture initiatives, all in the name of the so-called ‘ISPAAD’ ÔÇô what he said is a Khama invention that leaves Batswana impoverished.
“Dissenting voices say we talk too much about President Khama, but there is no way we can avoid it,” roared Gobotswang. “The Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) exists as a family ghost party. We are no longer in a bid to oust the BDP but, rather, we are in a contest with the ‘Khama Party’, which masquerades as the BDP. Khama has to be blamed for the prevailing mistakes that are denting the lives of Batswana.
Khama is giving out directives at will and exorbitantly spending public funds.”
Gobotswang likened Khama to the late Ugandan dictator, Idi Amin Dada, saying that Ian Khama was a joke, never to last long. He said that he knew Khama as a tyrant comparable to Idi Amin, a dictator who never adhered to democratic principles.
“When Khama was inaugurated on April 1, 2008 I dismissed the transition because it was an April Fool’s Day anyway. I knew him as a retired tyrant from the military barracks and I discarded the notion that he was a democrat who would stick to democratic principles. How could a despot become a democrat out of the blue?” Gobotswang argued, to ululations of BCP supporters attending the rally.
The seasoned politician, and now a Tswapong constituency aspirant candidate, wondered why most Batswana were so excited about the elevation of president Khama.
To loud cheers, Gobotswang said that no sooner had Khama ascended to the highest position in the land had he revealed his true traditional colours, adding that a tiger never loses its spots.
“Immediately upon assuming power, Khama started to give instructions and directives. He would wake up in the morning and usher directives of his liking and expected Batswana to dance to the tunes – failure of which stern measures would follow.”
Gobotswang charged that Khama even spread his wings too far and encroached on individuals’ privileges – imposing dress codes on people, excluding men.
He said it would not be long before men were hauled into the same situation – denying them to wear ear-rings and outlawing rasta hairstyles.
“You have discarded our previous calls during past elections and, today, you are suffering under a heavy yoke. The best way to stay away from these burdens is to vote for BCP candidates in the coming national elections. You should not wait until 2016, for, by then, Khama would have spent all your money. It is now or never,” said Gobotswang.
For his part, the BCP Youth Secretary General, Thato Osupile, accused the opposition Botswana National Front and the ruling Botswana Democratic Party of bickering and factionalism.
“Since its inception, the BCP has known peace, unlike the BNF and the ruling BDP. Compared to each other, the BNF and the BDP look alike.”
