VARIOUS VOICES ON THE CURRENT POLITICAL SPACE IN BOTSWANA

INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS ARE AFTER MASISI

I once again want to disabuse you of the wrongful perception that delegates walked out of the UN General Assembly hall when President Mokgweetsi E. K. Masisi addressed the 77th GA.

1.We would have seen an avalanche of pictures showing that shameful walk out.

2. The international media would have treated us to a festival of breaking news on the item for 24hrs. We should not allow naysayers to mislead us. I know to some i am singing for my supper. Well, i won’t spoil your fun. I respect your opinion no matter how flawed it might be. But i am stating facts. 3.Without comparison Botswana is regaining international recognition from world leaders and captains of international organisations under President Masisi.

4. Botswana is a reputable contributor in international dialogue. Botswana just relinquished the Presidency of ECOSOC, one of thr principal organs of the UN snd we did a splendid job. We have been reelected into the committe for a further three years. We are currently chairing a committee of Land Locked Developing Countries in the UN.

5. President Masisi is sought after. Organisations want to engage with him. Our democracy is is notable. They want to learn from Botswana’s success story.

6. While in New York President Masisi received on behalf of Botswana, AAI’s National Achievement Award for uplifting democracy. One speaker after another spoke fondly about Botswana and how she is an example not just to Africa but to the rest of the world.

7. President Masisi spoke at the celebration of the 7th replenishment of the global fund to fight Malaria, HIV and TB and Botswana was showered with accolades for a job well done. Yes we have challenges in the health sector but we are far ahead of many.

8.UN General Assembly, SADC, AU and all these other multilateral organizations are very important. That is where agendas are set and decisions are made. That is where leaders meet and lobby and make decisions. If you stay away you lose. 9.Do you know that President Masisi has taken it upon himself to make Botswana a friend to all? You should have observed a foreign policy shift by now.

10. Remember when President Masisi told Zain Asher of CNN in May last year that we are on a path to vaccinating our entire population he was called a liar? Do you know that vaccines are actually expiring because there is no uptake? I for one have taken four doses. That is two initial shots and two boosters. Do you know that this government put projects on hold and channelled money allocated to those projects towards fighting COVID 19?

11. There are many positive things this government is doing but they are boring because they are not negative news. Someone should be making a follow up on the drug manufacturing plant launched this year by Nantworks Botswana.

12. Someone should be telling us about smartswitch and the tablets distributed to secondary school students.

13. Someone needs to make a follow up and tell us how successful our fight against “Khofit” is.

14. Someone needs to sit with BITC and ask about the inflow of investment into the country which cane as a results of their efforts. Someone needs to ask CEDA how many projects they funded and how much has been disbursed under the new guidelines which were improved to accommodate many especially youth and women. How many jobs have been created? There is a big story there. But we won’t hear anything except when a list of debtors is leaked.

15. Someone needs to ask how many young people who are tech savvy have actually been in contact with the Botswana Development and Innovation Hub(BDIH) and how they have been helped.

All these are boring stories. They are not juicy and they don’t cast aspersions on anyone’s character.

We went to the UN and and achieved our mission. [BATLHALEFI LEAGAJANG via facebook]

IN 2024 WE DEFEAT THE BDP AND THEN WHAT?

Developments within the UDC, or lack thereof, convince me that the re-alignment taking place within the opposition is necessary. I don’t buy logic that says we should come together, gang up against the BDP and win state power, even when we cannot agree on basic standards of democracy and governance. If we approach elections and government that way, we should not be surprised when the opposition wins and the nation looses because the new government is no better than the one it replaced.

The realignment within the opposition is fascinating because, on the one hand, you have parties that swear on democracy, the constitution and good democratic governance as minimum requirements , i.e , AP, BCP and hopefully the breakaway from the BNF, coming together, and on the other, you have the lot that wants regime change at any cost, i.e., BNF, BPP, and perhaps BPF. The conduct, in office, of the drivers of regime change does not matter to the latter. I think we should celebrate the emergence of a strong alternative that swears on democracy, constitutionalism and good democratic governance, rather than decry the lack of unity under a UDC that tramples on its own constitution and the basic tenets of democracy and good governance. [SENNYE OBUSENG via facebook]

TRUST BPF AT YOUR OWN PERIL

The Botswana Patriotic Front must just disband and all those disgruntled with BDP President Masisi and no longer want to return there should just join other political parties.

This BPF thing is not a party, it is beginning to show. In the past people have called it a pressure group whose primary mandate was to see Masisi, not the BDP, out of the seat of power. It has been argued by many and we defended, that if there was no fight between Masisi and Khama there would be no BPF. The same memebers at BPF today would still be members of the ruling party. These fellows at the BPF are not about any political ideology but about following a man who does not like the BDP president.

Should he retrace his steps to the BDP, the existing opposition parties will realize that they have been wasting their time thinking that in the BPF they have a political ally. 80 percent of those Khama followers will follow him back to the ruling party. On the other hand, should the unexpected happen and Khama decides to just quit active politics or resign from BDP, 70 percent of theose BPF people will return to the BDP.

One has to look at the ongoing fights within the party to know what and who really matters at the BPF.

It is not about those people hating on the BDP or about them aligning with the opposition through body and soul – they are mostly individuals who are disgruntled because of certain decisions taken by government which did not help push their aspirations.

We already know that the losers in their ongoing electioneering war will not accept the results. Biggie Butale has already thought of returning, the one person we thought was the most critical of Masisi. TK’s former campaign manager has actually retraced his steps back to Domkgrag – a man who almost single-handedly made sure the BDP loses in Serowe and that people got to hate Masisi.

We saw the two men share a stage recently. What then informs comrades at the opposition that others who were less vocal against the BDP cannot return? The UDC should actually tread carefully trying to work with this clueless party. Yes politics is about number and we understand the desperation of wanting to work with them; but it is actually them who seek to use the popularity of the UDC to get back at the individual Masisi, not their party by blood. Instead of letting the fight between Guma Moyo and Master Goya take precedence in the opposition political space, we should encourage them to rather disband as a party and all individuals choose between UDC and BCP/AP.