The nation is still in a state of extreme shock, as we now know the extreme lengths to which the people we trust with our security can go to subvert checks and balances, to undermine the rule of law and corrode the very foundation of our democracy. State Intelligence and oversight institutions have suffered embarrassment of biblical proportions.
They are rumbling to get a hold of the leak and plug it, unfortunately the damage has already been done, the bottom is out of the tub, we now know the deep dark secrets that happen in the bowels of our institutions in their pursuit of justice, (I also recognize the irony there). The explosive nature of theses leaks is more like something out of a Spy Movie, it has the hallmarks of the leaks of Edward Snowden, Chelsea Manning and Julian Assange who stood up to blow the whistle and were designated enemies of the state. While in actual fact, a case for their bravery, heroism and patriotism can be made.
This unfortunate episode has reignited the long standing debate on whether whistleblowers are traitors or indeed patriots. It divides opinion between those who see them as betraying the oath of secrecy they have sworn to upon taking the job, while others like myself, believe the oath to serve, protect and defend the constitution overrides any idea of being bound by secrecy, especially on something that has so such bearing on the foundation of our democracy and rule of law.
People and Power
A friend of mine, Thami Pooe once told me that “in the separation of powers, the people have absolutely no power”. We surrender so much of our rights and liberties to the government, and to state institutions by extension, in the hope that they will act in our best interests, to protect and defend the constitution and all that is good in society. This always proves to be the biggest conspiracy theory we choose to believe as citizens.
The main focus on the issue of Leakgate scandal should be, when does the public have a right to know what is happening in their government? Because the ability of governments, not just ours, to hide the reality of their operations behind euphemism, when we don’t have all the facts to break that veil of words is tremendous and whistle blowers attempt to break that veil of words, words like national security and classified operations.
Often at times if not all the time, people in power and in control of state institutions, are allowed to classify the kind of information that should be kept from the public domain, this is information that is vital to the security of any nation, not just ours. This is information that as the public, we are content with not knowing, but if it is done in bad faith, as is it with is Leakgate, where there is a clear and eminent intention to undermine the rule of law, subvert checks and balances, to fabricate information that is against the collective good, then the true patriots, are well within their rights to use whatever resources and means available to them, to ensure that the public is not dubbed and that the constitution is upheld. According to the Intelligence and Security Act, an activity is considered a threat to national security if it is, “any activity relating to espionage, sabotage, terrorism or subversion, or intention to engage in any such activity directed against, or detrimental to the interest of Botswana and includes any other activity performed in conjunction with any activity relating to espionage, sabotage, terrorism or subversion, but does not include any lawful advocacy, protest or dissent not performed in conjunction with any such activity”.
By this very definition, those in contempt of national security are not the whistle blowers, but the cabal of high ranking officials who met, sat and presided over a meeting whose sole aim was to engage in such activity directed against, or detrimental to the interest of Botswana.
If heads are to roll, where should we start?
In order to divert attention from the real issue, all the involved State Organs, particularly the Directorate of Corruption and Economic Crime, has released a statements condemning the leak, arguing that it is a significant breach of security but none of them, even though they implicitly concede by verifying the authenticity of the content of the recordings, none of them what to engage on the explosive nature of the leaked contents, the fact that State Security Organs were conspiring to undermine the rule of law, misrepresent the nation on an issue that has so much bearing on the foundation of our democracy, our economy and our way of life.
Instead of going after those who defeat the ends of justice, those who undermine our democracy and the rule of law, the very same agency that is at the heart of this scandal is going straight for the press. I cannot say I am surprised by this move, it is a classic tactic that is used by organs that have lost track of their mandate, those who want to be absolved of responsibility at all cost and place the blame on a third party. Press Freedom is absolutely critical in modern societies, I do not want to say democracy because, we clearly stand afar from the core principles that would qualify us as a democracy, respect for press freedom, freedom of speech and respect for the rule of law. Reports on the ground are that Security Agents are planning to raid the Mmegi Newsroom and INK over the audio leaks.
These are just efforts by institutions wielded against the people to save face, to find another target to squash as they know they have the power, until we are convinced that the Press is at fault and must bear responsibility for publishing the leaks. Unfortunately, this isn’t something new, perhaps the magnitude of it is, but in the past we have had press newsrooms being raided, their equipment being confiscated and a journalist feeling the country as they feared for their life. It’s just an issue of Same Script, Different Cast.
Of Traitors, Patriots, and Press Freedom
It was Dr. Gowher Rizvi, the international affairs advisor to Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheik Hasina who argued that “without freedom of expression, our civilization will collapse”. This is a statement that must cover and protect those who leverage their position and proximity to power, to unearth deception and any wrong doing by State Institutions. It is both fortunate and unfortunate that the secrets are now in the open, and subject to ruling by the court of public opinion, where inadmissibility of the evidence is not an issue as the involved institutions want to make it seem.
Those who choose to make the tough and demanding choice of leaking state secrets, especially in this context that doesn’t jeopardize national security in the truest sense of the word and as per the intelligence act, but rather to expose the rot at the heart of our democracy should be regarded as heroes, in fact Patriots, as their loyalty to their country is above reproach, they recognize an acknowledge that the damage that such conniving acts could have to our democracy is irreparable.
In ending, I am reminded of the extract from the Netflix hit, Designated Survivor, when Agent Hannah Wells reads a piece from Pax Americana “all democracies from ancient Athens, to the Roman Republic, to the city states of their renascent end, and they all end the same way, as a corrupt alliance of extreme wealth and centralized power, ordinary citizens are deprived of liberty what is rightfully theirs is taken away”. It is our duty as Patriots to stop those who undermine our democracy because theirs is not to stop, and we must do everything within our power to preserve it, for democracy is the most deeply honorable form of government ever devised by mankind.
