Well, I don’t mean blind as in having no eye sight. I just want to be able to accept everything as right without complaining. I just want to be a typical Motswana who never complains even when unhappy. I mean, why is it that I always find fault in what other people see as appropriate or seem to appreciate? There can only be two explanations to this. Either I look at things differently from the rest of the people or the rest are blind to see things the way I do. Whichever way, I pray to God (in heaven and not in Nigeria) to align me with the majority. If the majority of our nation is blind, I ask to be like them. And if the majority of the populace is only dumb, I then ask to be like them because I hate this situation where I’m always going against the majority. I want to see myself one day ululating at the decisions that are made by our leaders, just like a whole lot of people in this country. Why do I remain obdurate despite the majority of the populace opting to be submissive?
I’m sure you’re already dying to know what I’m whining about this time around. Well, I left my regular job in pursuit of ‘tenderpreneurship’. No, I was not sacked. Yes, my former employers were under pressure from Office of the President to give me the boot but they couldn’t find room to create my exit door. I only left out of my own will and at my own time. I just thought hey, let me quit my regular job and cash in on government tenders and schemes, nowadays aka ‘mananeo a ga Rraetsho’. It’s only now that I realize how business people are being ripped off, not only by government but even private and public entities.
I’m still waiting for a plausible explanation as to why tender documents have to be sold at such ridiculously high prices. Anybody, somebody please? I mean it’s just crazy and absurd. It’s so unreasonable. I’m looking at this tender advertised by the Mogoditshane/Thamaga sub district council. The tender is for the supply of refuse bags (rubbish plastic bags) and for you to get the tender documents (14 pages of A4 size printed in black and white) you have to pay P150. Thousands of ‘tenderpreneurs’ go out to buy these tender documents, which means the council makes enough money to purchase refuse bags just from the sale of tender papers before they can even touch on their government allocated budget. Infact the council tender papers are cheaper because P150 is the cheapest amount you can pay for tender documents in Botswana. Some documents go for as much as P5 000, and it’s all non-refundable and it doesn’t guarantee you winning the tender.
I always hear stupid arguments that the money goes towards administrative costs. It is said the money covers the costs of paper and ink used to print the documents. It is also argued that too much labour goes into printing those documents because someone has to work behind the computer and print and staple the papers. Nonsense! When you budget for stationery at your department, you need to bear in mind you will need some printing paper for tender documents. Infact no one can tell me that the money we buy tender papers with is used to buy and replace the paper used to print the documents we buy. Even if it did, a ream of 5000 printing papers does not even cost P200 to justify the amount we buy tender papers for. The people who type and print these tender documents are already catered for in the salary structures of their respective departments so the issue of labour does not hold substance. You do not hire temporary staff to work on preparing tender documents and as such you can’t claim that you spend extra money on people who prepare the documents.
The sale of tender documents has become a lucrative business. It has become some sort of fundraising, or should I say pyramid scheme. It’s more like a game of gambling. Look, when there is raffle for a car, even if the raffle ticket sells for 2 Pula, the person or organization behind this raffle will make profit because thousands of people will buy tickets and the total amount collected will eventually exceed the actual price of the car. This is exactly what happens with the sale of tenders. You are fooled into believing or having hopes that, well, if I buy tender documents at P200 I might end up winning the 1 million Pula tender.
I remember this issue was once discussed in parliament and the minister responsible responded that they have no control over the sale of tender documents. Silly! Here is a government which has control over when we should sleep and when we should drink but cannot control what we pay for even if it is clear we are being ripped off. Anyway how do we expect government to regulate the sale of tender papers when government is the biggest beneficiary? You will hear a whole minister stand in parliament to tell the nation that government is doing this because ‘its international practice’.
International practice my foot! Since when did our government do things in accordance with ‘international practice?’ They only copy world standards where it suits them. Just the other day I went to the office of the registrar of companies to certify some documents. I had made my copies and all I needed from them was to put their stamp on the copy. I went to the first office where without hassles my copy was stamped, for free. I was told to go to the next office to certify another of my documents. I’m ‘talking’ about a single sheet of paper and to my surprise at this next office I was required to pay. I mean, why must I queue all day in the same queue as people who are coming to register companies for the first time when all I want is just a stamp? And guess what, I had to pay P20 to have my piece of paper stamped. This is the same department under the same ministry but the other office doesn’t charge for certifying documents while next door you must pay. The stamp is just the same.
I know government is trying to raise money. I have no problem with that. However, it pisses me off when I read reports from the Auditor General about how government money is wasted. It pains me to drive through potholes when I contribute so much money to the government purse. Instead of repairing our roads, we are told how millions of Pula remain unaccounted for at various government departments. We pay for everything but we are getting little from government. Imagine we even pay to harvest phane and wild berries!