Batswana live a lie every day of their modern lives. Our false lives have now turned into a mocking hypocrisy largely at the hands of the present ruling Government, developed since 1966. We think that we have a system of Government called democracy when the reality on the ground tells a different story.
We even elevate ourselves as a shining example of democracy in Africa when our legal and administrative systems on the ground in our daily lives fall far below standards of a true democracy. What has been happening in parliament in the past several months should by now have eliminated any illusions that we are a democracy.
Ours is a system of governance where the majority evidently has no say in decision making and is ruled by a few club members (BDP inner circle and the corporations that dine with it) who use the false parliamentary system to hold the entire nation hostage, through numbers in parliament.
It is comforting to witness a live acknowledgement of this truth by those who used to be part of the club, or were (BMD), or was their membership not endorsed? If previous club members have acknowledged, the time has come for the ordinary Motswana who had doubts to now come to terms with this truth; for, it is only through inner awareness and acceptance that the true path to positive change can begin.
Each day Batswana are painfully entertained with a new episode of hypocrisy by our club government, illustrating every inch of the way, the lie we live. Much has been said about the hypocrisy illustrated by the prosecution of Kgosi Kgolo Kgafela II which is all now turning into a national embarrassment of our judicial system. Soon this embarrassment will assume international status as the case progresses.
The idea that DIS can blow more than 20 million pula of disaster preparedness money in a few months, and thereafter have the courage to refuse to account for it, mocks us all Batswana as idiots.
If we as a nation cannot do anything about this and yet continue to pay tax, then there must be something seriously wrong with our individual and national integrity. Our administrative and judicial systems must necessarily all be as false as they have been demonstrated to be by the failure to prosecute those who ordered the extra judicial killings of more than ten citizens.
This sharp inconsistency will forever remain an albatross in the legacy of President Ian Khama, and political histories of Rre Ramadeluka Seretse and Attorney General Mme Molokomme, as to how they can live with themselves after prosecuting Kgosi Kgolo Kgafela II for assaults and after lodging Kgosi Kgosikwena Sebele in jail for five years for theft of a goat! whilst on the other hand resisting to prosecute those who have ordered murder and failing to cause a thorough investigation into allegations of corruption and mismanagement of public funds by ministers and other club members ranging into millions of pula’s!
Not only is our so called democracy false, but the very foundation of the Republic is false, and therefore bound to produce a false reality. If the reader thinks we obtained “Independence” from the Queen in 1966, then she better sober up to these truths.
Our first and second presidents of the “Republic” were Knighted by Her majesty the Queen and given the titles of SIR ÔÇô Sir Seretse Khama, Sir Ketumile Masire accompanied by a tail of honorary academic qualifications designed, as they usually are, to give a false sense of worthiness by people upon the title holder.
Whilst these titles may carry some meaningful honorary status, particularly to a Knighted Englishman, they have a powerful symbolic meaning when extended to a post colonial political leader of Africa. Knighthood means that one is a most trusted servant and loyalist of her majesty the Queen.
Jeff Ramsy couldn’t have said it better when praising the first president of this country and the British in this news paper. Maybe our Dikgosi should come up with a Setswana title and present it to the Queen and see if she will fly over to receive it kwa Ntlong ya Dikgosi or rather at one of our Kgotla Kgolos.
Some light must now come to the reader to appreciate why since 1966, there has been a well calculated and systematic legal and administrative process to promote English and western culture (particularly the worst aspects of it) at the expense of Setswana way of life, even against all the evidence on the ground, in our daily lives showing that sekgowa way of running our lives is not working for us. Colonialism has continued through her Majesty’s trusted loyal servants, although in disguised form, and sadly it has entrenched itself so deeply as to leave an almost permanent mark in the DNA of our spiritual being ÔÇô our true culture.
A corrupted culture has now developed from this covert colonialism whereby almost everything good about us Batswana is given inferior value simply on account of it being Setswana whilst at the same time associating bad traits with Setswana .When someone fails to observe agreed time he calls lateness “ Setswana time “.
A shoddy job is called doing things “Setswana “. None of our laws, even the constitution itself are written in Setswana; the language of our Courts is English; our members of parliament speak English, ministers speak English even to gatherings where everyone is a black Motswana; the president gives his state of the nation address speaking to Batswana in English.
He can’t even speak Setswana fluently and had to learn what he can manage today whilst on the job. We brush that aside as a joke when it should not be a joke because it fundamentally reflects the hypocrisy in and falsehood of our Republic.
When the head of state cannot speak the language of the people that is a serious matter.
It symbolically represents firm presence of her majesty’s rule over us 44 years after “ Independence “ , sitting in the royal seats with the middle finger pointing up saying “ I have taken you over at the core of your spiritual being- your culture , your Bogosi “.
Our customary Court systems , customary law and way of life of Batswana is all relegated to insignificance , not because Batswana see no value in them, but because her Majesty’s design and governance blue print dictates so, and her trusted servants are bound to establish an environment that fits the design, even against the will of Batswana. Batswana generally are suffering heavily from all forms of the system, including the inequitable distribution of wealth and the false sense of security created by our police and justice institutions. We wait endlessly for the prosecution of those who have offended us or let alone commencement of any investigation.
We are told in one breath that justice delayed is justice denied and when we ask about denial of justice due to the delays we have become accustomed to, we are given all kinds of political excuses which render the expression meaningless.
We remain poor amidst plenty in a small easily manageable population. Our land is no longer ours despite the powerful symbol in the national anthem “fatshe leno la rona”. Land boards do as they please with our land and see Dikgosi and merafhe (the true owners of the land) for nothing.
The education system is designed to create a slave population that is not even good at the slavery they are educated to serve. The system has virtually evolved a generation of spiritual zombies out of us Batswana for decades now.
The crisis is truly depressing. It is going to require a magical spiritual revolution to turn around the mindset of Batswana to a direction opposite the one pointed by the colonial master.
We are heading for transformation into a new truly Independent Botswana where Botswana shall be for Batswana the Setswana way, rather than for her Majesty, her local trusted servants- the Sirs of Africa, and club members (including the multinational corporations and their front men in United Nations organs and other international organisations who dictate third world policy on almost every aspect of our lives and rule us that way without us knowing).
We need to become aware and accept that our Republic is an illusion before we can walk the path to finding a true Republic.
Our blind faith to present authority in the face of hypocrisy shall be the final nudge to set us as a nation tumbling down the cliff of damnation. “A foolish faith in authority is the worst enemy of truth “(Albert Einstein).
“KE NAKO!”
