So, Honourable Member of Parliament Ramadeluka Ndelu Seretse, has resigned from his cabinet post as Minister of Defence, Justice and Security and many people take his move as a gesture of heroism and principle?
Not me. I beg to differ.
The gentleman did what ought to be done.
But first things first. This past weekend there was a by-election in Tonota North and I guess my readers expect to hear what I have to say about the outcome since I had commented here prior to the elections and indeed made public my views on who I thought deserved the nod from the voters.
When the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) went for bulela ditswe (primary elections) to select their representative in the by-election, which was necessitated by the death of Rre Baledzi Gaolathe, I supported Fidelis Molao over the rest of all other contenders in his party for this is the guy who had always shown interest in succeeding Rre Gaolathe.
In fact, even Rre Gaolathe knew too well that Fidelis Molao had keen interest in succeeding him as Tonota North MP. Molao was Gaolathe’s campaign manager and he had never shied away from revealing his intentions to stand for Tonota North in the future. This is why I sympathised with his candidature when other newcomers, opportunists and rejects from last general elections came scrambling for the same position.
Molao went on to win his party’s primary elections and was now faced with opposition from the Botswana Congress Party candidate, Dr Habaudi Hobona.
It was at this juncture that I had to yet again make a choice between BDP’s Mr Molao and BCP’s Dr Hobona.
Forget about the political clown that joined in the race, for the race was between Molao and Hobona. Being someone who is fed up with the ruling party’s arrogance and disdain for democracy, I decided to dump Molao for Hobona because I believe the more we bring opposition MPs into parliament the better for our rapidly declining democracy.
Besides, listening to Molao and Hobona advance their reasons for seeking the mandate to represent the Tonota North constituency, I was convinced, in their mother tongue, Mma Hobona wa loba msana (Hobona beat the boy) hands down. During their public debate, which was broadcast live on national television and where the moderator, Btv’s Ernest Phiri, couldn’t resist being biased against Hobona, the old lady outsmarted the young Molao and even exposed the stupidity displayed by some of the BDP supporters who were planted amongst the audience.
The long and short of it all is, the elections came and went with BDP’s Fidelis Molao getting the nod from the voters to be their next MP. What I can, however, tell the MP designate is, he did not win because he was the most deserving or capable candidate but simply because Batswana still do not know what makes for a good political representative.
To them, it is the BDP and not government that pays their Ipelegeng salaries. In fact, to many, it is President Khama who personally pays their salaries. To them it is the BDP and not government that provides free ARV medication. To many Batswana, voting against Ian Khama’s party is going against the wishes of the country‘s founding president, Ian’s father, the late Sir Seretse Khama.
Hobona’s loss is a challenge to opposition parties to embark on serious nationwide political education and let the people know that by providing social services to them, the BDP is not doing them any favour but only doing what needs to be done by any ruling party and that there is a lot that the BDP government is not doing, which ought to be done by any government of the day. That said, let me congratulate Fidelis Molao and remind him that he has not been taken to parliament by the president. He is going to parliament at the pleasure of Tonota North electorates and as such he should suck up to them and not to the president and his limelight-seeking lieutenants.
Oops! I got carried away with the by-election and almost forgot my topic is on Ramadeluka Seretse and his resignation from Cabinet.
Well, like I said, many people seem to view Ramadeluka’s resignation as a sign of principle and sort of adherence to corporate governance but as for me, I refuse to entertain the hogwash because I know the man only resigned because he had no other option.
Like he mentioned in his resignation letter to his cousin President Ian Khama, the man was reluctant to step down, only he had no other option and as such had to do the only thing left of him to do.
Perhaps if Ramadeluka resigned immediately he became aware the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC) was investigating him I would have ululated to his resignation but the man only waited to be served with a charge sheet and that is when he then accepted the excretion had hit the fan.
Ramadeluka knew very well the pressure and intimidation that befell his subordinates at the DCEC when they investigated him while under his ministerial portfolio. Ramadeluka knew very well that the DCEC investigations would land at the Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP), yet another department under his ministerial portfolio, for determination of possible prosecution but still he refused to step down and instead threatened some of us who were questioning his business deals with litigation.
So, really, to me Ramadeluka’s resignation is nothing worth celebrating and embracing and it doesn’t make him a hero or a more principled man than the rest of his colleagues, some of whom are now having sleepless nights at the thought of being next to be dragged before the courts of law for corruption.
Ramadeluka’s case is now sub-judice hence we need to tread with care when we discuss about it lest we be found contemptuous of court processes but one can only hope the DPP is ready to take the bull by the horns and this is not just another phuu matho (smoke screen) that is meant to eventually elevate Ramadeluka into a hero and leave everyone else who questioned his business ethos appear to have been trying to pull Ramadeluka down.
Whereas everyone must be waiting to hear if indeed Ramadeluka declared his interests to the president, all I care about is whether it is right to trample upon the ethics and dictates of corporate governance just because you have declared to the president and the president finds no fault in your abuse of office.
Looking at Ramadeluka in the dock one gets to wonder, what if the Voice newspaper didn’t expose his business deals and who else in Cabinet is doing what Ramadeluka is accused of and have not yet been taken to task just because the media has not exposed them.
Lastly, I almost laughed my lungs out when I heard reasons advanced by the BDP treasurer Satar Dada on why they are parting ways with the party’s Public Relations Manager Rre Segaetsho Garekwe.
The BDP Public Relations manager is reported to be on his way out of Tsholetsa House even before he was partitioned some corner to make his office space.
The BDP treasurer says the party cannot keep up with Garekwe’s salary demands as the party is broke as hell. I can only hope Garekwe is intelligent enough to read between the lines and not buy the crap. I have said it here before that the BDP erred big time in acquiring the services of Garekwe because the man has brought more harm than good to the BDP.
Whereas he was roped in to be the makeup artist for the party, all the time he appeared to be in the dark as to what shades he had to apply on the BDP to hide all it’s pimples. The man was supposed to speak for the BDP. Not only speak for it but he was expected to speak sense but Garekwe only said it better when he said nothing at all. I had always envisaged his sacking. It was a matter of when.
And now that the BDP couldn’t afford to tell Garekwe to his face that he had failed to live up to the expectations of the party, they derived a plan to kick him out graciously. They claim they cannot afford his salary but the truth is they cannot afford his inability to save the BDP face.
