I reckon it is far much better being a fool who do not care about anything and live life as it is than live a life of a rational being in a world where pig heads run the show. It is almost a rite of Botswana’s politics to defend the corrupt practices or fraudulent entitlements of the head of state as presidential privileges. In the simplest sense, what this tagline implies is that the head of state is, by virtue of his position, entitled to have entirely anything he wants and can get it through any means necessary. Like any other citizen, the Head of State is entitled to own property but must be subjected to same processes as other mortals. This rule book on its own nurtures a sense of integrity and accountability.
Greedy leaders corrupt the entire nation because their fraudulent practices robed in fancy platitudes like presidential privileges legitimize corruption in its various manifestations. The Head of State is the face of the nation; a godfather of the nation and an idol whose deeds and misdeeds are often honoured and mimicked by most followers. It is therefore really frustrating and depressing for a Head of State to make fighting corruption a signature cause while he engages in dubious deals that have all the hallmarks of unconcealed, blatant corruption of a massive scale. However, what I have observed over the years is that corruption allegations seem to dog many African Heads of State in their final years in office perhaps because they need to ensure they do not become destitute when they retire. We should brace for more!
When the Head of State becomes a key player in illegal dealings involving abuse of power, logically nearly every member of their family, key aides and their dog menders join the looting club in different capacities at different levels. Due to its unceasing expansion resulting from burgeoning greed, the club eventually becomes so big that almost citizen gets to play the game one way or the other. What this means is that almost all citizens are contaminated hence the idea that greedy leaders corrupt the nation. It is difficult for a reasonable person to ignore much less approve this nonsense hence you wish you lived elsewhere where people take themselves seriously.
We all get to play the fool at some point in time, but you become a decorated fool if you fail to learn from your foolishness. Why should we make it seem like its bad manners or obscene to comment negatively yet constructively about the Head of State? Of course, what I know is that people who do not care about life would not give a damn when the head of state stashes away huge sums of money when while they get some trendy radio sets that are more likely to generate more lightning than thunderstorms. I still do not understand why people seem to enjoy being screwed year in, year out, which is why I think being a rational person who does a lot of thinking is very depressing. It does not sit well with me to cheer up anyone irrespective of their standing in society, to go forth further up and find glory at my expense.
I really do not understand how someone who has graduated from the animal kingdom can allow themselves to be bought for soup whose benefactor actually can’t offer it to their own dogs on account of its stale taste or for snacks from a variety of dried insects and then get dumped after giving away their votes only for the political swindler to reappear with blankets and adult diapers to dope the same brainy mammals to give away their votes again. This cannot be normal unless one is a prized idiot who takes pride in providing comic relief. How is it possible that rational beings endowed with efficient mental faculties would consistently return their representatives to Parliament who shortly after being sworn in disappear leaving voters with their desolate, miserable and windswept villages? Honestly, some people are so daft and empty-headed to be given such a sensitive and fundamental duty to cast a vote. Their irrational and silly choices trivializes politics yet have a huge effect on the future of the republic hence such people need to be given tranquilizers to make them sleep on polling day while those with fully developed brains get an opportunity to shape the future of the nation.
Our political system has come to be driven by money. Money has infiltrated every nook and cranny of Botswana’s politics so much that political parties, in particular, the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) are wholly owned subsidiaries of corporate interests. Our politics value money over the people who vote hence politics has become a risky mafia game where corporate entities fund political parties mainly to promote specific policies and secure passage of legislations that place their corporate interests ahead of national interests.
As a result, our political atmosphere is now infested with half-headed moneyed bandits. Yet, money-driven politics keeps away good people from seeking political office and drives the motives of those in office. And again the reason why money has become central to our political process is because some model idiots have put their votes for sale at hugely discounted rates. In consequence, political parties will stop at nothing to secure funds by any means to be able to literally purchase votes.
Botswana needs honest politicians with integrity and accountability to run on behalf of those of us who are frustrated with a political system that celebrate money and intellectual disability.
