In 2014 at about this time, the Badge of Courage ran an essay lamenting on His Honour Vice President Masisi’s self-inflicted political deflation. It remarked that when he was appointed Minister of State, Vice President Masisi came with so much hope and promise. That his demeanour was way above reproach and his contributions in Parliament were relevant, reasonable and most of all inspiring. The media even branded him a new kid on the bloc; a rising star and a potential Vice President of the republic. Indeed Vice President Masisi was smart, unassuming and sufficiently intelligent.
Fast forward to 2015 and you come to acknowledge that the chap is on a free fall like a fake model whohad used plastic surgery to guise her sub-standard exterior in order to make it to the top. Typical of a paranoid wanna-be, VPMasisi has reached a stage where he is no longer taken seriously. Perhaps it is in order to provide context to this exclusive critique of VP’s demeanour so that those who brand me a jealous niggawould do so armed with hard facts.
Mr Masisi is the Vice President of the Republic of Botswana. In accordance with Botswana laws, Vice President Masisi has one foot in the presidency. He is the favourite to succeed President Khama. At this point in time, he is the undisputed heir apparent. As president-in waiting, Vice President Masisi must necessarily act presidential and show the world that indeed he is presidential material.
While still a Cabinet Minister, Vice President Masisi is reported to have authored a secret communiqu├® instructing BDP MPs to reject the Freedom of Information Bill tabled by former Gaborone Central MP, DumelangSaleshando. During the 2011 public sector strike, VP Masisi led a relentless onslaught on public sector trade unions which led BOFEPUSU to brand him the number one enemy of the workers. In the run-up to the 2014 general election, VPMasisi advised BDP fanatics to open pseudo face book accounts to use to infiltrate the opposition and/or to engage in unlawful acts to discredit members of the opposition. His flagrant aggression against the workers has put him in the axis of evil making him a real threat to the workers’ welfare and Botswana’s famed stability.
A combination of these instances in addition to his public revelation that he is in a rare class of sycophancy ÔÇô a self-confessed bootlicker ÔÇô have hurt his image. It cannot be right that Botswana could have a state president who openly sponsors terror against his subjects. Yet, rather than seeking to reconstruct his battered image and mends poisoned relations, Vice President Masisi has opted to behave like a night watchman who revels in showing off his new uniform. Not only is his behaviour hurting his integrity as future first citizen, but it is also damaging President Khama’s profile as the appointing authority and the BDP at large. There is an African proverb that says, ‘a woman who wants a child does not sleep in her clothes’. Vice President Masisi should be charming voters especially workers because they are the ones to implement or sabotage his policies.
In the Prince, Machiavelli states that ‘the first opinion which one forms of a Prince and of his understanding is by observing the men he has around him’. By not taking himself seriously, Vice President Masisi is in actual fact taunting and openly ridiculing President Khama as the appointing authority and the voters who gave him their votes.
In equal measure, VP Masisi’s childish behaviour is shaming the already disgraced Office of the Vice President. While former US Vice President John Nance Garner said the Vice Presidency isn’t worth a pitcher of warm urine and another former US Vice President John Adams mocked the Office of the Vice President as the most insignificant office that ever the invention of man contrived, the Badge of Courage had likened it to a shebeenwhose waitress behaves like a celebrated hooligan often too willing to engage in senseless squabbles with rather smart clients (the same way Vice President Masisi engages in silly quarrels with everyone who differs with President Khama).
While the Office of the Vice President seems a fitting tribute to lip syncing specialists, immediate past Vice President PHK Kedikilwe managed to use his administrative and political pedigree to reconstruct its image and give it some credibility and weight. Unfortunately, VP Masisi’s conduct is rendering it a sickroom for idlers thereby confirming and proving beyond doubt singular and collective reasoning that the Office of the Vice President is a wild vacation resort.
It was not presidential for Vice President Masisi to bang furniture inside Parliament to show his unwavering support for the State of Nation Address when it was presented by President Khama on 8th November 2015. In fact it was blatant thuggery and an open display of rebellious behaviour of a state-sponsored delinquent.
Vice President Masisi should also save himself and spare Batswana from his unmanageable wild giggles. He must be reminded that he is the second in command for the republic and should not behave like a toddler who would scream with violent laughter during an armpit tickle challenge. Vice President must laugh in a manner that does not show disrespect for his office.
Whereas it is said that laughter relieves stress, it was never meant for people more especially leaders to laugh like childish adults high on something unusually strong. Leaders must laugh discreetly as good-humoured persons rather than throw ‘performed’ explosive laughs that are often irritating. At times Vice President Masisi laughs so violently as though he is laughing at voters who have propelled him to be where is today. Batswana are going through really tough periods and leaders must not laugh as though we the poor are the providers of comic relief.In short, Vice President Masisi’s sense of humour sometime borders on irresponsibility, carelessness and pomposity.
It is the duty of citizens to shape the behaviour of their leaders specifically to nurture responsible and accountable leaders otherwise such behaviours as careless laughter could snowball into major behaviour disorders that could contaminate the entire state machinery. It is therefore our duty to critique or denounce Vice President Masisi’s manners and probe the extent to which he mentally prepared for the ultimate throne.
