I use the word damn in reference to its meaning of ‘showing annoyance’. Yeah, I thought I should clarify the essence of the word ‘damn’ before I am labelled foul-mouthed.
Some guy attacked me last week for my style of writing. The guy feels I hold a misconception that they ‘don’t know English’. Well my pale-faced friend is wrong. I know they know English. What I doubt is their understanding of English. You see, when Kalanga is spoken, I know it is Kalanga but that doesn’t mean I understand Kalanga.
Ok, before I get derailed, my annoyance really has got nothing to do with the bile from my red-lipped friend. No. I don’t go around picking fights with ordinary and unrecognized citizens even when they try hard to use my name to claim fame.
Right! A question was recently asked in parliament pertaining to President Ian Khama’s citizenship. The question was very elementary. Unambiguous. Simple and straight forward: “When did Ian Khama renounce his British citizenship?”
Instead of providing an answer to such a simple question, Minister of Presidential Affairs, Mokgweetsi Masisi, went on the rampage and took parliament through the ‘big bang theory’. The ever fuming Vice President Merafhe even suggested those who question Khama’s citizenship should be checked in at psychiatric hospital.
Honestly, when Khama’s citizenship was first questioned I was one of those who thought people were just trivialising issues and trying to tarnish his name in the mud. I just thought ba twaela Ian. I now realise it could be very possible my president is British.
Masisi and Khama’s responses to the issue of Khama’s citizenship have somewhat perplexed me. The Telegraph of last week quotes Masisi as having answered in Parliament thus, “the citizenship of His Excellency the President is not in doubt. He is a Motswana.”
I don’t understand this Masisi guy.
I mean, the fact that he is standing in parliament to give an answer to a question surrounding Khama’s citizenship simply proves the doubt he denies. Instead of clearing this doubt, he throws tantrums, raising even further doubts on the president’s citizenship. Yes, the citizenship may not be in doubt to Masisi either because he has documents that prove Khama has renounced his British citizenship or Masisi is just being the Masisi that we have all come to know. The one who defends everything and anything that has a Khama name.
All that Masisi was asked to do was to provide the date or declare to the nation that our president is British.
Masisi is further quoted as having said, “To impute that His Excellency the President is an outlaw without evidence is a very serious matter.” I say to Masisi, ‘To impute that His Excellency the President is a Motswana without evidence is equally a very serious matter‘.
Ian Khama’s mother was British and Ian was born in Britain. The situation is not peculiar to Ian Khama. A lot of Batswana find themselves in the same situation. As a nation, we have the right to know the status of the president’s citizenship more so that doubts have been raised. Masisi’s anger only helps fuel the doubts.
Then we have the Speaker of the National Assembly, Margaret Nasha, telling us that the issue of citizenship is a private matter. What the heck! President and private do not go hand in hand. Khama as President is inevitably public property.
America’s President Barack Obama recently had to show his birth certificate to prove to the Americans that he is indeed an American. When some people doubted the authenticity of his birth certificate, the midwife who delivered him during his birth was located and she confirmed that she was the one who saw through the delivery of baby Obama.
In his defence, Khama is quoted in the Echo newspaper as having said, “When I presented my name to the Chief Justice to become president, no one questioned my citizenship. Why is it being questioned now?”
Now you see what happens when you have a president who doesn’t read newspapers.
If Khama read newspapers he would know that his citizenship is being questioned now because the citizenship of a lot of Batswana who were born under circumstances similar to his are now being questioned by Khama’s government.
Honestly, I don’t understand why it is so difficult for Khama to provide evidence of his citizenship status. I do not doubt his dedication and love for this country but we need to know if he is a legal citizen. Batswana seem to take this matter lightly but it is a serious issue. This issue does not only affect Khama because we have Dikgosi and MP’s who are in the same situation.
What worries me is that only the ordinary Motswana is going to be given a hard time and expected to follow the tedious process of renouncing their other citizenships while Khama will be given special treatment despite the fact that we are being fooled to believe we are all equal before the law. Until Khama shows us his papers, I remain convinced we have a British for president.
