On 22 April 2010, His Excellency the President caused to be published on national television and national radio a Statement in which, inter alia, he attacked BARATAPHATHI and certain of its members. The false and objectionable nature of much of the Statement attracts this response.
Report of Collusion
That the President “ordered” (typical choice of word) an investigation would seem to be correct. What he does not say is that the investigation was secret, was conducted by individuals who are members of the Intelligence Services of the country, and that he has kept the Report secret. The institution of a secret investigation of matters internal to a political party by public officers is characteristic of the President and his scheming and cavalier ways.
The three individuals concerned, who included me, requested a copy of the Report, to which we were entitled. In his letters suspending us, he promised that we would be furnished with the Report when the charges were served on us. When the charges were eventually served, the Report was, not surprisingly, not attached. He dared not attach it for three reasons. It resulted from an unlawful secret investigation by public officers, and it did not contain any evidence of the allegations that he had made against us. He also did not disclose the Report, we are told, to members of the Central Committee. Producing it would have revealed the identity of the Intelligence Agents who had conducted the investigation, and the fact that it contained no evidence supporting the allegations of “sedition” (he initially had called it “treason”), both of which charges are outrageous-but then the doing of anything, however innocuous, which does not accord with the President’s wishes is the most serious of crimes.
The Report, apparently, comprises one paragraph in which is set out the allegations conveyed to the investigators by the President, and states only that Hon. Olebile Gaborone refused to cooperate. Such a Report constituted the only evidence upon which the President suspended three then members of the Party, and charges of “sedition”. This letter also forms the basis of the scathing attack upon us the subject of his Press Statement. He also claims, in the Statement, that we sought “…to disadvantage the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) at the elections, and subsequent to the elections in Parliament”. The President also makes other untenable accusations. Of none of this has the President any evidence. If he says that I am wrong in saying this, I challenge him to publish the evidence and the Report; Hon. Botsalo Ntuane, Mr Kabo Morwaeng, and I authorize him to do so. This country has a president who thinks nothing of telling the nation blatant untruths. Whatever happened to some attempt, however little, at honour befitting a president?
Mogoditshane Meeting
The President describes this meeting as illegal, that it was not sanctioned by the Party Constitution, and that the Central Committee had prohibited it. Batswana, even if they are members of the BDP, do not require the permission of the Central Committee to meet, nor need the BDP Constitution make provision for it for such a meeting to be lawful. Section 13 of the Botswana Constitution secures to us the freedom of assembly and association. That provision does not state that that freedom is abridged or curtailed where the BDP Constitution does not make provision for it, nor that the enjoyment of that freedom depends on the approval of the BDP Central Committee.
The Central Committee has no lawful authority to stop Batswana, even if they are members of the BDP, from assembling and associating. In President Khama’s Botswana, the enjoyment of our constitutional rights is lawful only if it meets his pleasure. And yet he considers himself a democratic! And yet the A-Team (members of the Khama Fan Club {KFC}) meet at pleasure, to his knowledge, and we know when and where they have recently met. And it shames him not to bare to the nation through the medium of national television and national radio the nakedness of his despotism!
6. It is true that not all Barataphathi attended the Mogoditshane meeting; each constituency was represented by an agreed number, and almost twice as many as had been invited attended-this notwithstanding the ominous prohibition by President Khama and the Central Committee! That should tell him with what little respect Barataphathi regard him; to them he is, by his relentless demonstration, the leader of a faction, the A-Team or KFC, and not their President. There are, in the BDP many more Barataphathi than his faction, and Kanye should have told him so! It was unprecedented for Party members to defy the President of the Party.
We have made neither insidious nor inflammatory statements in the press; all we have done is convey to the public the unwavering decision of a significant section of the membership that we should form a break-away party, and the reasons for that decision. He was also given a copy of those reasons which, had he been a statesman and a democratic, he would have regarded with seriousness and sought to redress them, rather than brand them “outrages and untenable”. Bagolo ba Phathi offered to mediate in order to save the Party, but he met their overtures with his characteristic recaltricance. And he calls himself a democrat!
Imputed Motives
Our efforts to protect our country from his dictatorship which would destroy it is said to be actuated by self-interest and self-seeking narrow ambitions. The President engages in ditlontlokwane when a mogolo would earnestly deal with the very sound matters of fundamental concern which we raise in the 30 concerns we gave him post-Mogoditshane. If those who occupy public office do so by reason of self interest and self-seeking narrow ambitions, then he is guilty of no less! Does he not occupy public office? We act as we do in order to save our country from him. If this should result in us achieving public office, then we certainly would have earned it. The tragic story of our country is that he has never earned anything in his life; he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, and all has been handed to him in a silver platter because he, purely by accident of birth, inherited the name “Khama” from one of the great heroes of our country. Mr President, for once in your life work to earn something- transform into a true democrat, revive, enhance and modernize our democracy, give Batswana the opportunity to review and overhaul our national Constitution instead of sheltering behind it in order to avoid the scrutiny of your decisions, innovate and come up with economic initiatives in order to overcome the recession instead of excusing your non performance on it while spending scarce national resources indulging your pleasures and populist ego! Earn something for once in your life!
Free the Airwaves
Give us access to Btv and Radio Botswana in order that Batswana should hear our side of the story. Debate me on the state of the nation to enable Batswana to judge who is right as between you and Barataphathi, and who would serve the country better!
Conclusions
It saddens us that we should have to engage in these sort of exchanges with you in public. You give us little choice!
Sidney Pilane
26 April 2010
