Growing up, I looked at politicians as empathetic Messiahs. I thought of them as intelligent or at least, wise men and women. I regarded them as a selfless and helpful lot whose main aim was to serve and advance the interests of the nation even at the expense of their own interests. I thought they loved their country so much so that they would do anything and everything in their power to make sure future generations inherit it in good and sound state.
My naivety even made me believe they were much closer to God than the rest of us and could be entrusted with our lives and welfare. To me, trustworthy was their middle name.
Growing up, I loved politics and politicians. No. That’s an understatement. I actually worshipped them. They would talk and I would listen. Not only did I listen but believed too. My situation was not helped by the fact that my area councilor while a young boy was Pono Moatlhodi. I’m still to know of anyone who is not compelled to listen when Moatlhodi takes to the podium at political rallies.
Oratory wise, Pono Moatlhodi matched, or even outclassed, the Pastor at the church that I was forced to attend as a young boy growing up in Francistown. My father (R.I.P) liked the pastor’s teachings just as he did Moatlhodi’s politicking. My father would not allow me to attend karate lessons but would permit me to attend Moatlhodi’s political rallies.
My father would not allow me to watch late night movies at Cine 2000 cinema but would give me money to attend late night BDP concerts at the Civic Centre.
By allowing me unrestricted access to Moatlhodi’s rallies and BDP concerts, my father instilled and nurtured the love of politics and politicians in me. In return I got fascinated by politics and admired politicians.
That was then.
I was young and ignorant of many things pertaining to politics and politicians. This is now. I’m wiser and more exposed to the game and its players. I even know their tactics. I look back and think how stupid I was to have ever thought politicians were God-sent.
But then again, perhaps back then politicians were exactly what I thought or expected them to be.
The truth now is politicians are the exact opposite of what they were in my little, naive brain back then. Nowadays politics is no longer about the people but politicians themselves. Their interests are primary to those of the people they are supposed to be representing. They do not give a hoot about the will and aspirations of the nation. They please themselves first and the electorates later or never.
I’m even scared to become a fully fledged politician because politicians have given the industry a really bad name.
They are two-tongued. They say this today and do that tomorrow. What if I become a politician and catch the disease? Fine, I acknowledge the fact that amongst our crop of politicians there are principled and well meaning members but the fact that most of our politicians value their stomachs more than their principles, makes the entire industry look muddy and untidy. I have seen very intelligent and principled men and women leave their well paying jobs to join politics and immediately they join the political game, they become silly, corrupt and self seeking.
They fail to reason. They give uninspiring answers to simple questions. They surrender their moral obligations to their masters.
You’re probably asking yourself what the heck I am on about. Well, I’m stunned at how politics can make 2 years seem like 20 years. Before I even go on let me state that I cannot speak of politics during the times of Sir Seretse Khama because I was a minor and didn’t know anything.
Was I even born? I’m making this disclaimer because some people are accusing me of being on Ian Khama’s case and my argument is, I didn’t ask Ian Khama to become president at the time when I’m grown up and able to assess and judge between right and wrong.
When I talk of Ian Khama I talk about a president and not the president. It’s Ian Khama now but it could have been anyone else. I can assure you that had Ian Khama resigned from the army and went to run say Khama Rhino Sanctuary, I would probably not be writing about him. Now that he didn’t go to herd the rhinos but opted to be first citizen, he should learn to accept criticism and embrace divergent views just as he does praise poems from his sycophants. I might differ with Ian Khama on so many issues but he remains my president.
If Khama has no problem with say MacD or Ngwakwena reciting praise poems and singing ululations to him, he should in the same vein have no qualms when Serite or Gobotswang give him the thumbs down.
What credibility is left of politicians when a grown up man like Minister Ramadeluka sees nothing wrong with his company engaging in business deals with a department that falls directly within his portfolio! What does it say about politicians when Ramadeluka’s cousin, Ian Khama, allows such an unethical arrangement to prevail? How principled are our politicians if a learned MP can spit salvo at fellow MP’s for supporting a motion that to him is irrelevant.
Does this politician think simply because he is a senior Cabinet Minister his decisions and thoughts should therefore be imposed on others? Should we take politicians seriously when they refuse to give civil servants salary adjustments and cry out loud that recession has dried the state coffers while on the other hand they indulge themselves in luxury and opulence? If indeed politicians were to be trusted, how would they explain the extravagance at the State House? Millions of Tax payers’ money is being spent unnecessarily to turn the State House into a private empire.
It is upon those principled politicians to restore the good name of their vocation. This they can only manage by breaking from the political piggery. Well meaning politicians should not allow themselves to be swallowed up by the political mafias. They should not only stand for their beliefs but should be seen to be defending their beliefs.
Those politicians who are not corrupt should make all the right noises when other politicians engage in corrupt practices. They should tell Batswana about underhand deals exchanged amongst the rotten crop of politicians. We know some politicians get shivers down their spines at the mention of declaration of assets and this is simply because they do not want the nation to know about their dirty deals.
They do not want us to know that they have companies that supply equipment and render services to the departments that they have been entrusted to oversee. They do not want us to know they own chunks of lands acquired unprocedurally.
Botswana politics have taken a drastic change in the last 2 years it even feels like Ian Khama’s tenure has long been over and now he is refusing to go. He managed to do, in two years, what his predecessor failed in 10 years. He outclassed Mogae in eroding our civil liberties.
He beat Mogae at kicking out most foreigners from the country, many of whom were chased before they could even answer to silly offences staged against them. His security agents have murdered so many people in just 2 years that it makes me wonder how many human skulls will be hanging on the walls when his ten year term elapses. He is probably the only president that has managed to create a permanent division in the BDP.
It is only during his time that many civil servants are given the boot out of their jobs without an explanation to the public.
He is sacking so many people from the public service and if what I have gathered holds any water, tax payers’ money is being wasted in these expulsions. Rumour has it all these officers who are being sacked unceremoniously are in turn paid millions of Pula and made to sign confidentiality clauses so that they do not tell the public that they have been pushed out. I am told if the current regime doesn’t want you in their employ, they order you to resign and in turn you get paid what you would otherwise have earned in the entire tenure of the regime.
Who can ever refuse to be paid such a fortune? Though it becomes as a blessing to those who get booted out, Taxpayers’ money gets wasted in the process.
I’m tempted to buy this rumour because so many people have been unceremoniously kicked out of the public service since the current regime took power and none of them has ever gone public about their dismissal.
So much about politics and politicians!
