On the day that he became Botswana’s fourth president, General Ian Khama soaked up the nation’s attention as he stood at the presidential podium, unfurling his 4Ds roadmap and revealing it for the first time. The ‘D’ signposts are discipline, development, dignity and democracy.
Four months later, his minister of Communications, Science and Technology, Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi, brought before parliament a bill through which the government would regulate operations of the press. Is the Media Practitioners Bill compatible with the 4Ds?
Part of the bill is, says the Botswana Congress Party’s information secretary, Dumelang Saleshando, pointing to the principle of discipline. Saleshando says that the censure and punitive powers proposed in the bill are compatible with that principle as they provide a legislative framework within which ethically erring journalists would be brought to book. Clause 11 of the bill proposes the establishment of a complaints committee which would have powers to reprimand, fine, suspend media practitioners or have their names removed from the register.
However, the Gaborone Central MP does not think that the bill strengthens democracy and reiterates his party’s views on the motivation for the bill. The BCP’s position is that the bill amounts to an attempt to politically control the media.
Even within the ruling party, there is skepticism about the bill. While he was not specifically addressing himself to the 4Ds, Specially-elected MP, Botsalo Ntuane, has expressed concern about the great dissonance between the proposed law and the civilising influences of democratic traditions that have set Botswana apart from most African countries.
There is similar concern among other MPs and the civil society that if
one of the most important signposts of the roadmap is knocked down, Botswana would lose direction, fetch up in political wilderness and take ages to find its way back and rebuild from the ruins.
Khama himself went into office with his mind already made up about the media. In his inauguration speech, he chastised it for its ‘use of abusive language in public discourse and defamation, slander and false statements’ which he mentioned in the same breath as alcohol abuse, reckless driving on public roads, disrespect for elders, vandalising of school property and wastage of scarce resources such as water.
“The examples I have cited reflect a lack of discipline by some sections of our community,” Khama said on April 1 when he became president.
Khama’s government has legislatively moved to act on alcohol abuse and media operations appear to be second on the list of wrongs that need to be righted. Conversely, the BCP suggests the bill has more to do with the president spreading his powers.
“He is now going further to assassinate the freedom of speech by seeking to have tight control of the media. Now that the BDP back bench has been put on silent mode, the next target is the media. Through the Media Practitioners Bill, President Khama would like to ensure that the media is within his control and is conscious of his likes and dislikes. The requirement for all journalists to register is meant to ensure that ordinary citizens who are not journalists cannot write the open letters to the press we have become accustomed to. Political control of the media is an affront on democratic rule,” the party said in a press statement.
The Botswana Democratic Party’s executive secretary, Dr. Comma Serema, does not see the bill as political control but well-intentioned effort by the government to bring the media within the sphere of democratic influence.
“I think that the bill is compatible with the democratic principle. Democracy has rules and regulations and the media is part of the democratic world,” he says.
In the period of time that he has been dealing with the media as head of Tsholetsa House, Serema says that he has made a determination that the current media self-regulation regime is inadequate.
