A few weeks ago, fellow columnist and revered journalist Spencer Mogapi did exactly what is expected of any political commentator and boy did he get the country talking. It is quite funny how people react to our opinions as columnists. Take me for example, I have deliberately made it my mission to dedicate 99 percent of my writings towards Ian Khama’s leadership, since 2008, and I have explained why I am ‘obsessed’ with Khama. I write more about Khama because as the current leader of this country, he is the most important person in the land and as such whatever he does or says, bears more impact on our lives as a nation. In other words, it is easy for Khama’s wishes to be realised than it is with Duma Boko. If Khama wants to pardon all prisoners, all it takes is for him to say so and all prisoners will be let out. On the other hand, should such a wish be held by Boko, Gaolathe, Molapisi or Saleshando, it will remain as just that; a wish, simply because they are not yet at the helm. Just because I am Khama’s devoted critic, I have become the darling of the opposition. They love me because I speak against their opponent. There was a time I criticized the opposition and a lot of opposition members started peddling rumours I have been bought by the BDP. Spencer, too, used to be the darling of opposition at the time he focused his lenses on the ruling party. Now that he has shifted his analysis to the opposition, he is labelled an enemy. Some opposition lunatics are now even questioning his journalism credentials. It really pains me when the onslaught on journalists comes from people that I would have otherwise thought they are more enlightened. I mean, some of them always boast of how they went to school abroad and one would have thought they learnt a thing or two on how first world democracies thrive. No democracy can flourish with intolerance towards journalists. As journalists we do not, in our line of duty, try to be loved by politicians. Truth is painful but unfortunately as journalists we have a duty to be the bearer and conveyers of this truth, no matter how painful the truth may be. Iconic American journalist Ben Bradlee once said, ‘’the truth, no matter how bad, is never as dangerous as a lie in the long run”. Before they criticize Spencer for what he writes, the followers must understand that he could be having inside information that holds more truth than the lovey-dovey public display shown by their leaders.
Look, I am not here to defend what Spencer might have written about the BCP or the opposition unity. I am here to defend his right to have written whatever he is being accused of writing. Our people need to be enlightened on the different hats that we wear when we write for newspapers. When he writes a news story, Spencer is forced to seek facts and consult all the concerned parties to get their side of the story. His writing has to be factual, fair and balanced. At that time he would be wearing a journalistic hat. However, when he writes his column, he is at liberty to rely solely on his opinion. He doesn’t necessarily have to include the thoughts or views of the politicians he will be writing about. He just needs to use his views and observations of the people or parties he will be writing about. As columnists, we do not claim monopoly to wisdom. We don’t have to be right or wrong. We just bring issues to the table and say ‘’hey this is what I think on this particular issue”. Our opinions are open to debate and challenge. You do not need to be a student of journalism to become a political commentator. You just need to have an analytical mind because our duty is simply to give analysis and assessment of the political situation as it unfolds before us. Anyone can do that and anyone is allowed to submit their opinions for publishing in newspapers, including those owned by Spencer. I was therefore disappointed that instead of challenging the issues that Spencer had raised in his column, opposition fanatics chose to attack him and ignore the issues he raised. Spencer is a professional and I challenge anyone to come forth and tell us if they have ever responded to Spencer’s column and his papers refused to publish the response. Should that come out, I will not hesitate to call Spencer to order, even as he is my boss. Our opposition must understand that we are not part of them. We might sound the same when it comes to criticizing the ruling party but that doesn’t mean we are a sub-committee of their party. Our main duty is to scrutinize all political entities that aspire to lead this country. Our criticism seems to be more focused towards the BDP only for the simple reason they are currently in power. Should things change and the BDP becomes opposition, we are going to put more focus on the new ruling party. We will put less focus on the BDP because we are not obsessed with the BDP but rather, we are obsessed with any party that gets the mandate to rule this country. I deliberately use the word ‘criticize’ because I know that is how politicians view our analysis and commentary. The truth is, we are critiquing them and not criticizing them. Although critique is commonly understood as fault finding and negative judgement, it can also involve merit and recognition. That is exactly what we do in our columns. We give credit where it is due and raise red flags where we see hazards. The opposition must therefore, just sit down and learn to live with our criticism because should they become the government, we won’t spare them the harsh scrutiny.
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