Thursday, July 17, 2025

THE BDP HAS BECOME A FASCIST MOVEMENT

It will be remiss of me if I do not give some credit where it is due and, in this case, by acknowledging that over the years Botswana under the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) has enjoyed peace and tranquility hence we have the most respected democracy in Africa ÔÇô yes, in Africa.
Remember the saying that ‘in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king’.

We are probably the best in a continent whose identity is famine and wars. Years ago politics, in particular elections, always drew the comical, banal and often absurd aspects of politicking in this country. One finds it fascinating that whereas the BDP was not endowed with the best brains this country ever produced, it always managed to convince voters that it was the best thing ever after sliced bread.

Having said this though, I reckon that during those years the BDP had a calibre of politicians who offered themselves for political office out of sheer desire to serve their country. Thus, while a majority of them were average politicians with weak intellectual grounding, their commitment, discipline, humlity and respect of others helped them to propel the BDP to countless unintelligent landslide electoral victories.

They inspired confidence even in the most bovine citizens that yes we can prosper as a nation under the BDP rule. One recalls interesting politicking by the likes of Kebatlamang Morake, former President Masire, Daniel Kwelagobe and so many humble king makers whose positions in society did not cause them to look upon the rest of us as undesirable swines.

However, the BDP under president Khama (call it the new BDP if you like) is a completely different organization. It has become a rogue organization, a fascist party to be precise. The party has been hijacked by a new treacherous breed of politicians with a penchant for self-enrichment. This breed comprises of well resourced business people and politicians seeking to plunder public resources at any cost.

As a result, the BDP has lost its core values and tradition and has embraced a rigid culture of arrogance, entitlement and corruption leading to an institutionalized predatory behavior of the party and government. Instead of recruiting new members in an honest and ethical fashion, they resort to underhand tactics and buy off opponents to distabilize the opposition and brag about it.

A few months ago, former BDP Parliamentarian Kgosi Tawana Moremi reportedly remarked that ‘when I complain why I don’t win tenders like everyone else the answer I get is that I must put my conduct in order’ Mmegi, 29th April 2011. The gist of this revelation is that the BDP has developed systematic processes and procedures that seek to ensure that all individuals that are not friends of the BDP, especially those who express their dislike for the way the country is governed, are deliberately sabotaged and starved to death.

This perhaps explains why the Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD) Parliamentarian Honorable Guma Moyo has suddenly developed two personalities with speculation rife that he intends to rejoin the money machine (the BDP).

He is torn between standing by his principles that saw him become a co-founder of the BMD and rejoining the BDP to enjoy unlimited opportunities to dip his hands into the national treasury.
It is my suspcion that the BDP has within it an unofficial gang (some have called it the dirty tricks department) that operates as the vanguard of the tenderpreneurs. This gang has conferred upon themselves the right to distribute the national cake by turning lucrative government tenders into a revolving financial scheme whose benefits alternate between a select few and their politically networked intermediaries in the public service.

Its beneficiaries are then required to parade their riches in a way that makes us envy them and perhaps repent and join the elite club. It seems to me that this unofficial hitsquad, most probably operating within the party’s Culture and Publicity Sub-Committee, has a long list of people whose lives have to be ruined until they come to their senses.

This vicious secretive organ of the party seems to have been mandated to ruthlessly deal with certain people through intimidation, sabotage and possibly physical harm. Whilst it may not be an official organ of the party, its operations seem to have been endorsed by the party leader – himself a pretty devious politician who sees nothing wrong in flaunting his riches in front of poor hungry people.

Certainly the group is posing a great danger to Botswana’s democracy by creating fear through the use of terrorism to legitimise wealth accummulation and achieve their goal to rule for life. A large part of their assignment appears to be to stalk those in the hit list, humiliate and publicly discredit them.

The gang promotes hatred, seek monopoly over people in order to control them and openly exalt authoritarianism. Poor people who depend on social grants particularly those who receive food rations are threatened with deprivation of benefits if they do not show loyalty to the BDP by acting as cheerladies and rented audience. His Excellency the President has openly declared that those constituncies that show allegiance to opposition parties shall remain underdeveloped.

As a consequence, people are scared and many have since opted to disengage from politics and recoil into their private lives in order to steer clear of trouble. Unfortunately, the more people run away from politics as a result of fear of the hit squad, the more these gold diggers turn politics into their exclusive game that guarantees instant wealth. This is exactly why debates have somewhat ceased. When an opportunity arises to debate topical issues, the spoilt brats instead yap like dogs which have been trained for professional fights and for that they get rewarded with more multi-million pula tenders and executive positions in strategic institutions.

Many years ago Greek writer Aesop rightly observed that ‘we hang petty thieves and appoint the great ones to public office’. It is therefore not surprising that the most unlikely are the ones who swim in toys for they receive colossal payments in return for little or no work. The motto seems to be ‘join the BDP to buy shares in the state and receive huge Christmas bonuses all year round’.

Many people including those who do not value their own lives are beginning to be really scared. For some strange reasons, people who hold different views from those of the BDP are paraded as enemies of peace. It is really freaking indeed when people, and I mean sober-minded people, start to tell you that they are worried for your life simply because of your inability and unwillingness to keep quiet.

It is really scary when relatives and friends plead with you to discontinue contributing to public debates because they are afraid that you might disappear. It is a clear sign that citizens are afraid of their rulers. Many people including erstwhile life members of the BDP would tell you that they love this country so dearly but hate the government of the day with unbridled passion.

RELATED STORIES

Read this week's paper