Not so long ago, The Badge of Courage suggested that political parties, in particular, opposition parties must make it a habit that all of their rallies are preceded by protest marches to attract public attention and counter President Khama’s walkabouts.
The underlying objective of such protest marches would be to generate and sustain interest and motivate people to get out of their homes and vote at the general election. However, it would seem that opposition parties have their own ideas and tactics, yet the political atmosphere remains dull and uninspiring and falls far too short of motivating people to register to vote. The campaigns are subdued, solemn, dour and downcast.
While opposition parties are quick to blame their clumsy campaigning on lack of resources, it seems to me that this is just a fraction of the problem. Opposition parties lack innovation, aggression and determination to face the erstwhile mighty BDP. Their obsession with courteous politics, well-mannered campaigns tactics and kind language present them as being sceptical about their readiness to take over state power from the BDP or better still conceding defeat in advance. Their low-key activities in the political market place render them content with BDP rule and this is upsetting and discouraging potential voters. This essay intends to challenge the opposition parties to change their tactics and get more serious about rescuing Batswana from BDP misrule ÔÇô play time is over.
The BCP goes by the tagline, ‘Ready to Lead: Leading Botswana out of the Crossroad’. UDC goes by ‘Embrace Change, Calm Change: The calm revolutionary of our time’. Trade Unions call for regime change. Clearly, all these interest groups share the same vision for Botswana which is to rescue Botswana from BDP mismanagement. However, aside the unions that pretend to be militant, their tactics are half-hearted in ways that give consent to the BDP rule.
The Badge of Courage contends that understanding the nature and dynamics of Botswana’s politics is the first step toward developing effective campaign tactics. Opposition parties argue that the BDP is desperate to remain in power and would use every trick in the book to ensure victory at the general elections. Thus, it is expected that the BDP propaganda machine would be on overdrive, intensifying its smear campaign to discredit opposition politicians. Yet, rather than fighting fire with fire to take on the BDP pound for pound, opposition parties prefer to be polite, dignified, excessively courteous and well-mannered and on the whole indecisive and reluctant to take advantage of the prevailing mood. Sun Tzu, the author of The Art of War reminds us that ‘opportunities multiply as they are seized’.
Professor Mark Brandly of Ferris State University reminds us that ‘candidates with moral integrity are at a severe disadvantage’. Opposition parties must wise up and embrace aggressive politics and become fiery without being violent. This is the art of political war. They must refuse to be cowed by moneyed BDP thugs who threaten to ‘buy’ their (opposition politicians) spouses for use. They must stop being doormats and cry babies. In politics, dignity is for those in government. The last time former VP Mompati Merafhe called one opposition MP a village idiot and instead of taking the war to the VP, opposition politicians cried for protection from the Speaker of the National Assembly.
Politics is not for the fainthearted especially for opposition politicians and those who prefer soft, calm and clean tactics must brace for humiliation. Political war like any battle that has ever been fought requires courage to fight and win; it requires people who can embrace dirty tactics and assault mechanisms to attack, scandalize and knock down opponents.
Opposition politicians must show a high degree of ruthlessness and embrace a combative style unknown in the history of Botswana’s politics. The BDP is in power and its candidates are encumbered by incumbency to make wild promises lest they give voters ammunition to finish them off. On the other hand, opposition politicians are unencumbered and can therefore resort to cheap politics knowing that for the moment they cannot be called to account. They can thus talk drivel and produce lie after lie and get away with it.
After all, only a few voters are able to recognize crap, uncover deceit and perhaps make a thoughtful decision. The rest who are certainly in the majority, are cart pullers who could ran away from rain and hide in a pond and are mostly interested in scandals, bare-fisted unethical verbal blows; character assassination and silly gaffes. This is a huge advantage to those outside of government.
The ruling party cannot play silly point-scoring games lest they score killer own goals. This requires them to be guarded in their pronouncement and to tread with delicate care. Thus, opposition parties must learn to use language that implies that BDP politicians have committed unimaginable crimes. This strategy encourages voters to convict BDP candidates and blame them for our misery and stupidity. They ought to sensationalize issues and blow out of proportion every little thing that goes wrong including those beyond the control of man.
For instance, President Khama is on record stating that ‘Batswana we have been ripped off by foreigners and there is nothing we can do’. Opposition politicians must zero in on this and argue that this is a candid admission by the BDP government that they slept on the job or they participated in the loot hence are incapable of handling the affairs of the state. This will heighten the voters’ emotions and make them outraged. Opposition politicians ought to make the voters believe the unbelievable and sustain the use of language that whip people’s emotions.
They should ask the voters what use is of having a government that pride itself in being defrauded and pronouncing confidently that nothing could be done to recover public monies yet they continue to give million dollar jobs to the same contractors that ripped off the nation. They ought to sensationalize the land problem, Morupule B, Shakawe Senior school debacle both in relation to its construction and learners’ performance, failed Palapye Glass project, BMC crisis and payment of ghost civil servants and tertiary students. Thy must tell voters that the soup usually served by President Khama is spiked to make them contended idiots.
This will get voters thinking that the worst is yet to come under the BDP government and have to act now to stem the rot. They ought to tell voters that what we read from newspaper reports is just a tip of the iceberg ÔÇô the real damning rot is yet to come to the fore. They must ask voters to imagine what there is that is not known and ask them to imagine how much land the Khama’s own if President Khama alone can have so much land all over the country and what else might they be capable of, to appeal to the voters deepest fears. Most importantly, they ought to sustain this onslaught and amplify their empty noises and alarmist revelations because many of the voters are forgetful and indifferent to life.
After all, political warfare is based on exaggeration and falsehood!
