Recent corrosive and obvious tribalistic remarks attributed to the Botswana National Front Youth League (BNYL) President and Kgatleng District Council Chairperson, Tona Mooketsi, cannot be left to pass as simply political rhetoric.
From the onset, we do not hold a brief from the political party that came under attack. However, as a responsible publication that considers itself a key player in nation building, we strongly detest tribalism and those who exalt it.
Mooketsi was captured on radio castigating Isaac Mabiletsa, the MP for Kgatleng East, for re-joining the Botswana Congress Party (BCP), a party he (Mooketsi) went on to label as nothing but a political parade for certain ethnic groupings.
According to Mooketsi, Mabiletsa should not have defected to the BCP because it is a political party belonging to Bakalanga, Bayei and Babirwa.
In a subsequent interview with another radio station, Mooketsi, without shame, admitted the remark and justified it as a ‘slip of the tongue’.
In our view, the utterances by Mooketsi are unfortunate, especially coming from a council political head and a potential party president.
In their fit of rhetoric, politicians like to make the most outrageous statements. We believe our leaders should be exemplary.
Mooketsi should be reminded that Botswana is a democratic republic founded on unity as a national value for all.
What does the future hold for Batswana as a nation if the kind of young leaders we have today are those spewing poisonous tribalistic sentiments?
It is also disturbing that Mooketsi’s party, the BNF, has said little or nothing on the issue.
This is shocking because the party’s much talked holy script, ‘The Social Democratic Programme’, states that the party aims to consolidate unity of different communities in Botswana. The BNF says it intends to foster cultural unity and remove all forms of discrimination.
In fact, the BNF tells us through their social democratic programme that “measures will be taken to ensure that their languages are developed. Discrimination on ethnic grounds and other practices calculated to imply, cultivate or perpetuate feelings of ethnic inferiority and hatred shall be severely punished by law. Where necessary, affirmative action will be taken to reverse traditional discriminatory practices, for example, Basarwa”.
From the above, we would like to believe tribalism and thin veiled ethnic chauvinism is not what the BNF stands for.
Politicians should learn to think before they speak.
Likewise, political parties must invest their energies in nation building. They should advocate for leading this country to prosperity through unity.
The BNF politician claims to have been misunderstood; we do not buy his afterthought. The man has exposed himself as a tribal bigot with no leadership traits whatsoever.
Only feeble minded politicians without depth on political discourse turn to insults and tribalism as political ammunition.
This is a practice our people should shun. Any party that entertains such conduct within its ranks should also be rejected.
Politicking along ethnic groupings has the potential to turn our gains and the founding fathers’ efforts to model Botswana into a republic.
Perhaps it is about time that government considers introducing a minimum qualification for those aspiring for political office with the hope that, unlike Mooketsi, those who have stayed long in school will have the decency to appreciate the danger tribalism poses.
There is a danger to ultimately exterminate our ethnic tribes or disadvantage them. In fact, Mooketsi’s statement is inciting Batswana across the political divide to shun the Bayei, Bakalanga and Babirwa.
We are not in any way suggesting that Mooketsi should not display some ethnic pride but such not be accompanied by a shameless attack on other ethnic groupings.
The country’s top politicians, such as President Ian Khama and Leader of the Opposition, Botsalo Ntuane, have been unequivocal in their message that we should be wary of trying to encourage a culture of separatism at the expense of unity.
One wonders, really, what this BNF leader is saying about the many people who form part of these ethnic groupings but nevertheless vote the BNF. Can so many people who are BNF members wishing to hold political office be assured of fair treatment as party members?
The very view displayed by the BNF leader of believing that other tribes are inferior is dehumanising. The comments are crude and obviously informed by a notion that there is no tribal equity.
Elsewhere in Africa, tribalism has resulted in deaths and total obliteration of certain ethnic groupings.
We maintain that tribalism is pervasive and should not be allowed to prevail over reason.
We call upon all politicians to make a sober reflection and appreciate the inherent destructiveness of throwing tribalistic remarks about carelessly.
