One of the things that I like about the developed countries is that their democratic systems are vibrant. Power is not concentrated in one office and the system of checks and balances is effective as the three organs of government are independent.
Just like a three-legged pot, they compliment each other knowing very well that the weakening of one organ will compromise the quality of democracy practiced. Politics is not about self-enrichment. It is about serving and advancing the interests of the citizens.
Politicians in the developed countries take responsibility for their decisions and actions. They are usually expected to step down if they make errors of judgement.
Some have been forced to resign because of the words that they uttered at political rallies or during interviews, lying to the public, involvement in corrupt practices, failing to account for the manner in which public resources have been used or for failing to represent, protect and advance the interests of the electorates.
Unfortunately, in Botswana and other developing nations, it is very common for politicians to do and say whatever they want without being forced to resign or at least to explain the things that they did or said.
We have heard and read stories about truant MPs and councilors who have never been taken to task for their unbecoming behaviour.
We have heard our political masters making uncalculated, divisive and tribalistic statements as it happened at a BDP rally in Tsamaya a few weeks ago.
We have read stories about ministers and their spouses being involved in business transactions with government departments without the same being viewed as clear cases of conflict of interest.
In an interview with the Echo newspaper, President Khama stated that when he was the Vice President he preferred to go to the gym rather than attend parliamentary sessions because it is important for him to keep fit.
In the same interview, he stated that wasting public funds on constituency football league is justified because the government is already spending money on HIV/AIDS related programmes which do not generate money.
Furthermore, President Khama and Minister Ramsden have stated in clear terms that one day our beloved country will be ravaged by a civil war.
At the BDP retreat held two weeks ago, President Khama attributed an increase in the number of mekoko to failure on the part of democrats to accept election results.
Interestingly, he refused to accept the outcome of a democratic process at the Kanye congress. He left immediately after his preferred candidate, Tebelelo Seretse, lost to Daniel Kwelagobe and did not even bother to go back to congratulate the newly elected committee.
Not to be outdone when it comes to making embarrassing public statements is Vice President Lt Gen. Mompati Merafhe who once said that killing one or two people cannot tarnish the image of the country.
He has on several occasions stated that all motions tabled by opposition MPs should be rejected because they will steal the limelight from the BDP. This basically means that the image of the BDP is more important than the interests of Batswana as far as the VP is concerned.
Minister Phandu Skelemani, who is supposed to be the face of the country, has on several occasions made belittling and inflammatory remarks about leaders of other countries such as Zimbabwe and Madagascar. Just recently, he was interviewed on the ruling of the AU Commission of Human Rights with regard to Prof Good’s case and stated in very clear terms that ba ka nna ba tsamaela koo!
I was left speechless when I read a story about the poor residents of Tobane village who were abused verbally by the Assistant Minister of Agriculture, Oreeditse Molebatsi.
Apparently the Assistant Minister was supposed to address the residents about the outbreak of the foot and mouth disease in their area but changed his plan and subjected them to verbal terrorism. This is a man who I know is a member of the ZCC and definitely had his badge close to his heart when he insulted those who attended the meeting.
When Phillip Makgalemela defected from the BDP to BMD and back to the BDP he gave conflicting statements. In a press statement that he issued jointly with his councilors, he criticized in very strong terms the poor policies of the BDP and even explained how undemocratic the party leadership is. But when he rejoined the BDP after three to four weeks, he stated that he missed the good BDP policies when he was with the BMD.
All these examples clearly indicate that we have political leaders who do not think before they start speaking. Unlike their counterparts in the developed countries, they do not choose their words carefully.
Hence, the need for them to be trained on how to address citizens, how to handle issues affecting other countries, the importance of not being involved in business transactions with government departments (i.e. ethics and accountability) and others. They must learn that the things that they say can divide the country and plunge it into a crisis.
People who venture into politics in the developed countries usually assemble strong teams of advisors with different backgrounds such as Economists, Political Scientists, Public Policy Analysts, Statisticians, Security Studies Experts, Lawyers and others.
The main responsibility of the advisors is to guide their political masters on everything that they do. They train them on how to handle, analyze and debate public issues. They teach them to read and own speeches written for them, appropriate dress code for different occasions as well as how to behave in public office.
Hence, I strongly believe that our politicians must also have advisors who can guide and assist them to appear as intelligent people in public.
It is only through training that they can stop making irresponsible, uncalculated, contradictory, embarrassing, divisive and belittling public statements.
*Dr Mothusi teaches Political Science at the University of Botswana
