Saleshando pens letter to HE

The Leader of the Opposition (LOO) Dumelang Saleshando has wrote a letter to President Mokgweetsi Masisi on January 25, 2022, proposing the enactment of the Constitutional Review Act.

He believes that it will help to govern the entire process of the constitutional review. In his letter, he points out that he is fully aware that Masisi has already sworn in the commissioners and he is the only one who determined their terms of references in exclusion of all critical stakeholders.

“The path you have taken is also totally out of step with international best practice in constitution-making review. You will recall that in my last letter to you, I had proposed that there be a stakeholder conference convened to forge a broad national consensus on the process to be followed in reviewing our Constitution,” the letter states.

In addition, the opposition leader says democracy requires nurturing and constant renewal for it to flourish and serve its people well. And therefore, he says, it requires meaningful consultation and humility.

Continues Saleshando: “It requires respecting your own people, that they too are relevant in constructing and reviewing a document that determines how they are ruled. It requires leadership that promotes bipartisan collaboration and consensus-building.”

He, however, said the manner he has adopted, unilaterally appointing his loyalists, had permanently undermined the legitimacy of the process and the end product is bound to be illegitimate.

He also reminded him that countries that have failed to involve the people in constitutional revision or lawmaking have often paid a heavy price as popular demands for new and more democratic dispensations have not always been peaceful.

“Your approach is dangerous in the extreme,” he added. The letter further says they needed a more mature and patriotic approach for the exercise, but the President just failed the test and in many respects confirmed what they had always known about the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) - that the statements it makes on therisanyo, morero, puso ya batho ka batho, and the rule of law is just hollow posturing.

He said he had thought it was possible in the interest of the nation to work together in a true bipartisan spirit and deliver a Constitution that Batswana would proudly own. He, therefore, said his party Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) of which he is the leader in Parliament, unequivocally rejects the path the President has chosen. “It is a sham. We don’t recognise any of your commissioners. They are serving a partisan BDP agenda.

We want a true Constitution of the people and this we shall deliver as a matter of urgency upon taking power,” the letter says. Efforts to get a comment from the press secretary to the President, Batlhalefi Leagajang, were not successful as he could not respond to questions regarding the letter.

“The path you have taken is also

totally out of step with international

best practice in constitution-making

review”