Thursday, February 13, 2025

‘Masisi intolerant of his opponents as former President Khama’

The Bertelsmann Stiftung Transformation Index (BTI) has released a report on Botswana where it ‘assesses the transformation toward democracy and a market economy as well as the quality of governance’ for the period 1 February 2019 to 31 January 2021. It concludes President Masisi is no different from his predecessor General Seretse Khama Ian Khama. The conclusion of this report is confirmation to what many observers have said since the President took over from his predecessor on 1 April 2018. I concur with the report by saying it should not come as a surprise because the two gentlemen are products of the same oven being the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP). Once a BDP always a BDP some would say. Predictably, the cheerleaders of the President who have at every turn bombarded some of us with the false narrative that his is a different administration with the hallmarks of a true democracy never witnessed anywhere else, should be so incensed with the report to the extent of dismissing it contemptuously. I am eagerly waiting for a rebuttal to the report from their side if it will ever be provided. Quite honestly, it will take a rebuttal of exceedingly gifted fellows to undo the report in any form or shape because it resonates very well with what has been said all along. What you read in the report is what you get. Dictionary.com defines Intolerance as ‘unwillingness or refusal to tolerate or respect opinions or beliefs contrary to one’s own’. Before dealing in depth with the intolerance issue, let me briefly touch base with the BTI report.   

The BTI report covers a wide range of issues inter alia and in sequential order, Political Transformation, Political Participation, Rule of Law, Stability of Democratic Institutions, Political and Social Integration, Governance…. The two gentlemen it must be said with the highest degree of conviction that they would score almost similarly in all these topics hence the findings of similarities as stated in the report. Ever since he left office, General Khama has always portrayed himself as someone who played the game in strict compliance to the rules. His rule is well documented to confirm or contradict the portrayal.  Interviewed on the South African television channels eNCA and SABC this past weekend consequent to the arrest of his siblings, Gen Khama threw everything but the kitchen sink at his successor for everything that could have gone horribly wrong in Botswana. I was not taken aback by his comments during the interview because by and large, he has always played a victim card to solicit public sympathy and in the process, suggest that he was better than the President. The dots are refusing to connect in that regard.  I have always felt as I still so that Gen Khama is the last person to lecture anybody on the Rule of Law and Governance to mention but a few. His history on these and other relevant issues from a variety of internal and external institutions is well documented. Gen Khama has lodged a defamatory suit against government for having been accused of being the ring leader in the so-called P 100 billion heist. I agree with him on the point that having been so accused, he was never brought before any court of law to avail his side of the story. Other than this and broadly speaking, nothing fundamental differentiates the two gentlemen. Back to the intolerance issue.

The similarities that give credence to the President and his predecessor’s propensity to intolerance emanate from how the executive and BDP Members of Parliament have continually and consistently protected their Presidents from deep scrutiny be it to do with questionable accountability on corruption and good governance amongst others. That is why these two issues still remain topical with no resolutions insight. During Gen Khama’s presidency, a steel wall was erected around him to the extent that what he wanted, he got without breaking any sweat. Most if not all suggestions from the Opposition were shut out of the political and socio-economic equation. The Opposition is on record to have demanded countless times that State institutions like DCEC, DIS, Ombudsman, IEC to mention but a few, be removed from the clutches of the sitting President. The purpose of doing so was primarily to shield them from political influence and manipulation. But because their being under the Office of the President worked for the sitting President and his political party in more ways than one, removal therefrom was dismissed out-rightly. There were calls to reform the composition of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) so that this institution is not populated by the functionaries of the sitting President. It is a well-known fact that the JSC is still exceedingly populated by the sitting President’s appointees in the form of The Chief Justice and the President of the Court of Appeal who are directly appointed by the President, The Registrar of the High Court as its Secretary, Permanent Secretary to the President, Chairman of the Public Service Commission, the Attorney General. The Law Society is represented by one of its own.  There have been calls to reform the Electoral Law in order for the IEC to run elections in a truly independent fashion where political interference of whatever nature is put at bay. Gen Khama was intolerant to these suggestions until he left office.

In came President Masisi with the needle stubbornly refusing to move. Issues as raised in the preceding paragraph still remain as they were since Gen Khama departed the scene. To cap his intolerance, the most immediate should be his failure to embrace voices from the Opposition and the civil society with regards to the Review of the Constitution. As they would say, the rest is history. The Leader of Opposition who represents about 48% of voters as at the results of 2019 general election has made attempts to ask the President to be inclusive in this process but to no avail. When the Presidents (Pensions and Retirement Benefits) law was amended around 2016/17 and spear-headed by Vice President Masisi and Leader of the House as he was then, the Opposition cautioned and rejected the amendments on the basis they appeared to be tailor-made to suit the exclusive desires of Gen Khama. As always, BDP MPs rejected with contempt the Opposition misgivings. Fast forward to June 2019 when President Masisi profusely apologised for not listening to Opposition with regards to the amendment of the said Presidents retirements benefits. Such apology was carried by the Sunday Standard online edition dated 10th June 2019 under the headline ‘I owe you and the Opposition an apology. We made a mistake on Khama’. It is important to note the apology was at the height of his fallout with his successor specifically meant to carve a niche to a political safe ground. This was a damage control initiative of some sorts more than anything else.

The President’s intolerance is further demonstrated by the overall BDP MPs conduct and attitude towards the Opposition where every Motion or Members’ Private Bills emanating therefrom are rejected where in most instances, such rejection is only based on numerical advantage the BDP enjoys than on compelling meritorious reasoning. Under President Masisi for example, the BDP has rejected the Opposition suggestion that ballot boxes be counted at the voting stations which suggestion has been made by various election observers who have observed Botswana elections. Just like during Gen Khama’s presidency as already alluded to in this conversation, President Masisi’s government has also rejected meaningful reforms at State institutions in order to bring them in line with best practises through meaningful legislation amendments such that they are not contaminated with political interference which interference compromises and circumvents their independence to fully and truly perform their mandates in furtherance of meaningful democracy and accountability amongst others. As a consequence, these institutions are still largely susceptible to unfettered political interference and manipulation. 

In the final analysis, it should be reasonable for me to align myself with the Bertelsmann Stiftung Transformation Index Report on its telling finding that ‘Masisi intolerant of his opponents as former President Khama’ because they are the products of the same oven. The Constitutional Review process stands out for now as the more profound sign of intolerance by President Masisi to those who are not in his corner. By all accounts, one would have expected the President to take full advantage of the review process to somewhat redeem himself given the intolerant cloud hanging over his head as suggested from some quarters.

This would have had huge positives to portray him as a tolerant person who is consultative and grounded on inclusiveness given particularly the huge political and socio-economic ramifications of the Constitutional Review process.  I strongly argue he has lost a golden opportunity to shed the intolerance tag that will stand out and remain attached to him in the annals of Botswana political history. Had the Constitutional process been widely consultative and inclusive, it would have significantly overshadowed the intolerant tag to put President Masisi above Gen Khama. Regrettably, the status quo as it obtained during Gen Khama’s presidency still obtains in President Masisi’s presidency. Once a BDP always a BDP. I am prepared to be persuaded otherwise as always. Judge for Yourself!

‘No one is safe until everyone is safe’. Let us continue to treat Covid-19 pandemic as our immediate threat by adhering to all protocols.

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