The recent decision by President Seretse Khama Ian Khama to engage the leader of the opposition is a very welcome development. Though belated, President Khama’s decision to meet Botsalo Ntuane is reassuring, as it suggests that he is warming up to the idea of consulting with those who hold views that are parallel to his.
However, we regret to note that President Khama’s record, at least on consultation and dialogue, is less than impressive. Numerous events that happened in the course of the year paint Khama as a leader who repeatedly shies away from communicating with those who differ with him.
In the current sitting of parliament, Botsalo Ntuane will table a motion calling for a referendum on constitutional review, while Isaac Mabiletsa will table another one calling for a commission on the same issue. Kgafela II has also approached the courts seeking for the constitution to be set aside. These are all indicators that, however much government would want to wish it away; this is a topical and contentious issue that needs to be addressed.
What is important though, is dialogue and consultation. The excuse given by some in parliament, to the effect that we should not review the constitution because it has been working for us since independence, is lame and archaic. We believe government must engage the nation on this matter.
Constitutional reform is not a partisan exercise, it is a national exercise, it should not be rejected just because it favors those who are in power. We need to review the constitution for the sake of this nation and to safe guard our credentials as a beacon of democracy. We should not wait for problems to arise before we decide to institute reforms. Instead we should be proactive in safeguarding peace and democracy. We should take the initiative when the environment is still conducive for all concerned.
In his constitutional application, Kgafela II revealed that government, including Khama, repeatedly rebuffed his requests for dialogue. In the end, the issue escalated into a disaster in waiting, and now the animosity between Kgafela II and government is palpable. We believe that Khama, as a leader, should not have snubbed Kgafela II the way he did. Whatever his personal thoughts about Kgafela II and Bakgatla are, Khama should have been the bigger man and at least found time to hear what Kgafela II had to say.
Khama came under fierce attack for his silence during the strike. He refused to meet with the workers to hear their complaints. He shunned mediation efforts by other stakeholders like former Presidents. As a president, Khama is a father figure. He is a leader. He is the one to whom the nation looks at times of need. But he refused to dialogue with the people and avert a national disaster.
In the aftermath of the strike, hundreds of civil servants were dismissed from work. To many, the government came across as vindictive and retributionist, hell bent on punishing those who exercised their democratic and constitutionally entrenched right to strike. Subsequent mediation efforts, the latest made only last week, were met with silence on the part of the presidency. Many are asking why Khama is refusing to pardon and reemploy the poor civil servants.
President Khama’s subsequent utterances also suggest that he thinks less of those who differ with government. The suggestion that there are some who are more patriotic than others will only divide this nation. The solution is dialogue. Simple.
The acrimonious stance adopted by government against trade unions, especially after the strike, also suggests that government has decided to quash the labor movement. Government recently withdrew certain union benefits which were agreed upon between employer and employee. There was absolutely no problem before the strike. There was no notice of government’s intention to revoke the benefits enjoyed by the unions. In just one swoop, government decided to punish the unions by cancelling the deduction code for subscription fees and loan repayments ; withholding office accommodation and withdrawing officers seconded to the unions.
In the end, the unions rushed to court after all attempts at dialogue were snubbed. In fact, many believe that the innumerable court cases that government finds herself embroiled in with trade unions could have been avoided by simple dialogue.
Government’s failure to explain the decision suggests that it was simply aimed at destroying trade unions and punishing them for the strike.
The unity and peace that we have been enjoying can only be safeguarded if the national leadership realizes the importance of of national unity and how it has been instrumental in realizing,
thus far, the vision of the founding fathers. In my conversation with the
audience, I asked them to reflect on the year 2011 and for them to think
about those of our fellow citizens who are not celebrating on account of
an event still fresh in our minds; the public sector strike.
At the end of the day all Batswana are patriotic citizens,
none more than the other, none lesser than the other. Hence we urge
government and the unions to smoke the peace pipe and engage each other in
good faith and out of a spirit of give and take for the benefit of both parties.
