The Botswana Congress Party Youth League wishes to express its disappointment at Minister of Lands and Housing, Lebonaamang Mokalake’s irresponsible remarks that Honorable MP for Chobe, Gibson Nshingwe, may possibly be HIV positive. The minister’s utterances are wicked, slanderous and un-parliamentary and should be contemptuously condemned. He is a disgrace to Botswana and humanity.
The BCPYL is of the view that Mokalake must resign as minister as he has exhibited gibberish tendencies that are not only embarrassing to parliament and government but also have the potential to sow seeds of discord. He lacks both etiquette and character and is therefore unfit to hold public offices of MP and Minister. The BCPYL doesn’t accept Mokalake’s apology as we view it as insincere. He only apologized because of pressure from the House; he had denied ever saying anything like that but parliamentary recording proved that he is a barefaced and hopeless liar.
An apology that is extracted, and is too little too late, and where the offender never truly acknowledges that he was wrong or takes responsibility for his behavior is meaningless. Minister Mokalake has abused MP special rights, privileges and immunities. These are enjoyed by MPs to enable them to perform their functions effectively without fear or external interference. MPs have a right to freedom of speech; they cannot be made liable either civilly (e.g. for defamation) or criminally (e.g. for breach of the official secrets legislation) for anything said by them in the course of debates or other parliamentary proceedings.
This should however not be used to slur, hate and promote reckless behaviour. Mokalake’s loathsome annotations prove that Botswana is far from winning the fight against HIV/AIDS, particularly the stigma associated with living with the virus. His dreadful words encourage prejudice, negative attitude, abuse and ill-treatment of people living with HIV/AIDS, the effect of which is unhelpful in the fight against the pandemic. The BCPYL has previously complained about the ruling elite’s lackadaisical approach to the fight against HIV/AIDS; there is clear evidence of deficiency of political will as HIV/AIDS messages have dried up and some HIV/AIDS Non Governmental Organisations have closed shop because of lack of assistance from government.
The BCPYL has also noted with concern the apparent perpetual fighting against the Botswana Network on Ethics Law and HIV/AIDS (BONELA) by the government, including the use of security organs to intimidate BONELA officers or thwart the NGO’s activities. Mokalake’s statement in parliament is instructive of lack of political will on HIV/AIDS issues. He should get the message that Botswana still has an innate HIV/AIDS epidemic in terms of magnitude and exigency. The country needs the highest possible political commitment to manage the HIV/AIDS scourge.
It needs strong and committed leadership, not the Mokalake type, to lead a broad multi-sectoral response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Vile and divisive characters like Minister Mokalake are unworthy of public office; his constituents must, as a matter of principle, fire him in 2014 if he refuses to go now or is not fired by President Ian Khama. As an alternative, he should publicly apologize to Honorable Nshingwe, parliament and government, Batswana in general and people living with HIV/AIDS.
*Keorapetse is President of BCPYL
