History, said Karl Marx has a way of repeating itself. First time as a tragedy and the second time as a farce, he added. Are we seeing that play out right here before our eyers? The Europeans tell us that president Mokgweetsi Masisi is intolerant. This is a big statement.
Botswana as a country and also as a government are not used to being called out on the international stage. It is a country used only to praises. But that might be coming to an end. The report by German think BTI is worth quoting in greater detail. “President [Mokgweetsi] Masisi seems to be as intolerant of his opponents as former president [Ian] Khama, with the private media outlets reporting that several opposition leaders were harassed in the build-up to the October 2019 elections and [also] during the state of emergency.” Coming from a German think tank, this assessment is damning enough.
We had to hear it from Europe before we could believe it at here at home. But more damning is the think tank’s assessment on a contrast of what was the optimism that characterized the Masisi arrival and what has since happened in real life once he was in office. “When Masisi succeeded Ian Khama on April 1, 2018 there was a sense of optimism that the fear that had gripped the country under Khama was waning, as Khama had been considered an intolerant president,” says the report. It doesn’t stop there.
“Matters of dubious legality have continued, leading some to doubt Masisi’s commitment to combating corruption and protecting the rule of law.” The intelligence services, the DIS and its director general have not been spared. “The director general of the DIS, Peter Magosi appears to be above the rules, as he has continuously undermined elements of democratic procedures and institutions , including the Directorate on Corruption and economic Crime.”
Parliament is defined as “overly weak”’ and easily dominated by President Masisi. Alone and away from the semi-illiterate crowd surrounding him, Masisi will pause and reflect on the contents of this report. Not just because sharp criticism happens to come from Europe but also because at the bottom of his heart he believes he is a liberal and internationalist intellectual. You remember not so long ago, not for the first time he said Botswana, especially the ruling party deserves and demands a seat at the top table of Africa’s liberation organisations?
In every sensed, he meant what he said. Every student of history who wants to understand the Masisi doctrine needs to read and re-read that speech. But that is for another day. Back to the German think tank. We have to ask ourselves just where we missed the red flags. Others have said many of us were gullible and that the red flags were always right before our eyes. Mokgweetsi Masisi is not the first intolerant president we have had. Like the report says, his predecessor, Ian Khama was deeply intolerant. And vindictive too. Perhaps the appropriate question is who between the two men has shown himself to be more intolerant?
It is natural for people to look for personal defects of a leader to account and explain the difficulties they find themselves in. The president’s temperament remains the soft underbelly of his presidency. Aides, which include ministers and senior staff members talk of a brooding president who is often unable to hide his anger at people he dislikes. This extends to treatment of his own ministers. He brooks no dissent. And considers himself philosopher king. Another predecessor, Festus Mogae had a short temper. But he was not vindictive, much less vengeful.
Mogae encouraged debate. And was not shy of standing his ground, even if it meant at the cost of sounding politically incorrect. But he did not suffer fools easily – he had no patience for people he considered of lower intellect. Masisi like Khama eschews debate. And likes reminding people that they are in charge – whatever that means. Where Mogae was a thorough bred intellectual, it is difficult to place where the two falls along the continuum. The president is so hopelessly irascible that even the otherwise innocuous and helpful statement by the German think tank is more rather than less likely to annoy him. Four years into his presidency, Masisi is yet to get over the fact that he finds himself as head of state.
It is either an obsession or self-doubt – both are outcomes of a deep-seated sense of insecurity and if not controlled could easily spill towards despotism. There is also some level of pettiness. It is a poignant image. Other things about the president can be changed, but not these ones. These form a part of his credo.
