The great hope of our people…. Time for consolidation
Opinions
‘You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free.’ If we arm ourselves with knowledge you will know the truth. Without knowledge the truth will most likely elude us. With knowledge we shall know whether we are being misinformed or we are being informed appropriately.
Being informed appropriately means being given knowledge that empowers us to understand issues around us in order for us to make informed choices. With this knowledge, as an individual, you are able to discern the truth and take appropriate actions.
I have posted a number of articles on this publication and have received overwhelming encouragement to share more. I will continue to do so as a way of giving back to my beloved fellow citizens, some will criticize and some will learn something. It is all well as we all learn something as we begin to engage each other positively.
I tumbled upon a book by some writer, Allen White entitled “The Great Hope’’. I immediately thought of the great hope that I have for our country. The great hope that one day this country will be able to reach its full potential in terms of development. The great hope that one day all our people will be engaged meaningfully in the transformation of their country.
The great hope that one day the rich resources that God has richly bestowed upon this country with will be enjoyed fully by all our people. The great hope that one day the leadership of this country will understand that they are servants and not masters of the people. The great hope that one day our leaders will understand that each person has a specific role to play in the development of the country…no one is a mistake!
As I went through the pages of this book, my attention was caught by a chapter entitled “Why there is suffering?” What suffering; I thought to myself! Yes, there is suffering in my country. The gross unemployment and under-employment that should have long been eliminated is painful. The pain has made some of the unemployed accept that it is impossible for them to be employed – they have now accepted this as their fate. Some have even been removed from the list of the unemployed to perhaps make the statistics look better? We have graduates who are roaming the streets with nothing meaningful to do.
We have interns who are filing and making tea in offices with no prospects for permanent jobs. We have created abject poverty amongst our people which we say we will eliminate but without putting in place any plausible framework for sustainability.
We have suffering in many dark corners of this republic, the elderly, the disabled, the sick in hospitals with inadequate care systems, the children who walk long distances to school and being taught under trees in bad weather with inadequate clothing, the children whose education condemns them to a life without any prospects for advancement – yes we have suffering, teachers and officers with inadequate accommodation, the starving wages imposed on the majority of our employees, yes the list is long…there is suffering.
The people subjected to unfair treatment by authorities because ‘ke bo ise mang’. Corruption, nepotism, favouritism in high places, yes there is suffering. The people who are subjected to this suffering eventually give up hope of ever getting out of the suffering and some resort to some undesirable means to survive or to withstand the suffering. This is unnecessary suffering that must be ended by us!
I would like to paraphrase a portion I read from this chapter- ‘why there is suffering’. This article is really meant for deep introspection within our opposition parties. God’s plan of hope and prosperity for this country will be done through the opposition parties of this country. So it is imperative for the opposition parties to introspect and build a formidable force for change.
‘Before the entrance of sin there was peace and joy throughout the universe. Love for God was supreme; love for one another was impartial. The law of love was the foundation of God’s government, the happiness of all the created beings depended on their acceptance of the principles of justice and righteousness. God took no pleasure in forced allegiance and therefore granted all free will, so that they may render Him voluntary service. However, some highly placed individual chose to pervert this freedom and sin entered the world.
Leaving his place in the presence of God, this individual went forth to spread discontent amongst the angels. Mysteriously concealing his real purpose he endevoured to excite dissatisfaction concerning laws that governed heavenly beings, intimating that they imposed unnecessary restraints.
He urged them to obey only the dictates of their own will. He claimed he was not aiming for self exaltation but was seeking to secure liberty for all the inhabitants of heaven so that they may attain higher level of existence. He was not degraded from his privileged position in heaven, even when he began presenting false claims before the angels.
Again and again he was offered pardon on condition of repentance and submission. At first he did not understand the real selfish nature of his feeling, but as his dissatisfaction was proved to be unfounded, he was convinced that the divine claims were true and just and that he ought to acknowledge that before all heavens. However, pride forbade him from submission. He instead, resolved that he had no need for repentance and thus fully committed himself to continued confrontation with his maker.
He intensified his deception to secure the sympathy of the angels. All those who did not agree with him; he accused of indifference to the interests of the heavenly beings. It became his policy to manipulate the angels with defiant and subtle arguments concerning the purpose of the maker.
By artful perversion he cast doubt upon every statement made by his maker. His position gave him power and influence and many were induced to unite with him. He remained stubborn, defiant and blasphemously claiming to be an innocent victim. He was eventually banished from heaven for ever – he is now a lost soul in the wilderness.’
I would like to challenge our political parties especially the opposition to look at the above story closely and ask themselves this question. Who are these men who have allowed and continue to allow the perpetuation of this suffering in this land of plenty and what should be done to get our people out of this suffering? I want the leadership and the general members of society to look in the mirror and examine themselves and see if there are not partly or entirely responsible for this suffering. Have we not like the one in the text above deviated from the cause to liberate our people.
Instead we have misled our people and turned them against each other by cunningly undermining others and claiming supremacy! Have we been honest? Are we pursuing our own interests at the expense of our people? How long has this been going on? Why did we ever allow ourselves to have more than one opposition political party in this country with such a small population? Where there any irreconcilable differences within the opposition ranks or where there just immaterial personal differences and preferences that took centre stage? We need to reconcile our differences and become one big force for change. No one should be ‘banished for ever’.
We need to get our people to understand the issues so that they are not easily deceived by those self seeking individuals who want power at any cost for the sole purpose of advancing their own interests and prestige like the one in the text? Hitler once said if you tell people lies all the time eventually they will accept these lies as the truth. RB, BTV and Botswana daily news paper are used as government propaganda machines meant to prevent the real suffering in the country from being reported and only giving a glowing picture of what the government is doing.
The president goes around the country at our expense giving out blankets, radios and houses to deliberately present a false picture to our people and the world that he cares. The unsuspecting public out there and the international community believe this propaganda while the truth and the reality on the ground is severely compromised.
It is therefore important that all those who can see through this musk, must work together as one to fight the injustices imposed on our people. Working together will have the desired effect of getting more with less! The combined resources in terms of financial, manpower and intellectual capacity will multiply. The reach to our people will be much wider. The support from local and international interests will multiply. The ability to remove the musk for the truth and the reality in our country to be reflected correctly will be magnified.
The elections are gone and the people have spoken and spoken very clearly. True leaders have heard the people and will honour the voice of the people in good time. Those who still want to justify a ‘multiparty’ democracy as opposed to a ‘two’ party democracy are still missing the point. Batswana have spoken; they want a ‘two’ party democracy.
They want one voice against the ruling party. This one voice is the voice of the government in waiting. Those 800,000 people who did not vote will vote during the next election to support a ‘two’ party democracy. These people are saying, ‘we are too small a population to be fantacising about multiparty democracy’. They are saying, ‘we need only two parties, so swallow your pride, work together and we will support you.’
Have it ever occurred to you that the multiplicity of parties was encouraged and promoted because it meant that the ruling party will be kept in power for ever? These 800,000 people who did not vote are aware of it. They know that their vote will not make any difference in the outcome of the election if we have multiple parties selling the same election package. One can only logically assume that only those leaders, blinded by their own desire for top leadership positions will continue to advocate for divisions within the opposition ranks, despite the loud voice coming from the just ended election.
So it is time for the opposition to come together as one, to fight as one, to speak with one voice, for one purpose only, that of truly liberating our people from the shackles of the current misguided and mischievous government.
Email: bernard.busani@ gmail.com Cell: 71751440
News
The case for Botswana to ratify the ACDEG
The Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIAG) is the most comprehensive dataset measuring African governance performance through a wide range of 81 indicators under the categories of Security & Rule of law, Participation, Rights & Inclusion, Foundations of Economic Opportunity, and Human Development. It employs scores, expressed out of 100, which quantify a country’s performance for each governance measure and ranks, out of 54, in relation to the 54 African countries.
The 2022 IIAG Overall Governance score is 68.1 and ranks Botswana at number 5 in Africa. In 2019 Botswana was ranked 2nd with an overall score of 73.3. That is a sharp decline. The best-performing countries are Mauritius, Seychelles, Tunisia, and Cabo Verde, in that order. A glance at the categories shows that Botswana is in third place in Africa on the Security and Rule of law; ninth in the Participation, Rights & Inclusion Category – indicating a shrinking participatory environment; eighth for Foundations of Economic Opportunity category; and fifth in the Human Development category.
The 2022 IIAG comes to a sweeping conclusion: Governments are less accountable and transparent in 2021 than at any time over the last ten years; Higher GDP does not necessarily indicate better governance; rule of law has weakened in the last five years; Democratic backsliding in Africa has accelerated since 2018; Major restrictions on freedom of association and assembly since 2012. Botswana is no exception to these conclusions. In fact, a look at the 10-year trend shows a major challenge. While Botswana remains in the top 5 of the best-performing countries in Africa, there are signs of decline, especially in the categories of Human Development and Security & Rule of law.
I start with this picture to show that Botswana is no longer the poster child for democracy, good governance, and commitment to the rule of law that it once was. In fact, to use the term used in the IIAG, Botswana is experiencing a “democratic backsliding.”
The 2021 Transparency International Corruption Perception Index (CPI) had Botswana at 55/ 100, the lowest ever score recorded by Botswana dethroning Botswana as Africa’s least corrupt country to a distant third place, where it was in 2019 with a CPI of 61/100. (A score closer to zero denotes the worst corrupt and a score closer to 100 indicates the least corrupt country). The concern here is that while other African states are advancing in their transparency and accountability indexes, Botswana is backsliding.
The Transitional National Development Plan lists participatory democracy, the rule of law, transparency, and accountability, as key “deliverables,” if you may call those deliverables. If indeed Botswana is committed to these principles, she must ratify the African Charter on Democracy Elections and Governance (ACDEG).
The African Charter on Democracy Elections and Governance is the African Union’s principal policy document for advancing democratic governance in African Union member states. The ACDEG embodies the continent’s commitment to a democratic agenda and set the standards upon which countries agreed to be held accountable. The Charter was adopted in 2007 and came into force a decade ago, in 2012.
Article 2 of the Charter details its objectives among others as to a) Promote adherence, by each State Party, to the universal values and principles of democracy and respect for human rights; b) Promote and protect the independence of the judiciary; c) Promote the establishment of the necessary conditions to foster citizen participation, transparency, access to information, freedom of the press and accountability in the management of public affairs; d) Promote gender balance and equality in the governance and development processes.
The Charter emphasizes certain principles through which member states must uphold: Citizen Participation, Accountable Institutions, Respect for Human Rights, Adherence to the principles of the Rule of Law, Respect for the supremacy of the constitution and constitutional order, Entrenchment of democratic Principles, Separation of Powers, Respect for the Judiciary, Independence and impartiality of electoral bodies, best practice in the management of elections. These are among the top issues that Batswana have been calling for, that they be entrenched in the new Constitution.
The ACDEG is a revolutionary document. Article 3 of the ACDEG, sets guidance on the principles that must guide the implementation of the Charter among them: Effective participation of citizens in democratic and development processes and in the governance of public affairs; Promotion of a system of government that is representative; Holding of regular, transparent, free and fair elections; Separation of powers; Promotion of gender equality in public and private institutions and others.
Batswana have been calling for laws that make it mandatory for citizen participation in public affairs, more so, such calls have been amplified in the just-ended “consultative process” into the review of the Constitution of Botswana. Many scholars, academics, and Batswana, in general, have consistently made calls for a constitution that provides for clear separation of powers to prevent concentration of power in one branch, in Botswana’s case, the Executive, and provide for effective checks and balances. Other countries, like Kenya, have laws that promote gender equality in public and private institutions inscribed in their constitutions. The ACDEG could be a useful advocacy tool for the promotion of gender equality.
Perhaps more relevant to Botswana’s situation now is Article 10 of the Charter. Given how the constitutional review process unfolded, the numerous procedural mistakes and omissions, the lack of genuine consultations, the Charter principles could have provided a direction, if Botswana was party to the Charter. “State Parties shall ensure that the process of amendment or revision of their constitution reposes on national consensus, obtained, if need be, through referendum,” reads part of Article 10, giving clear clarity, that the Constitution belong to the people.
With the African Charter on Democracy Elections and Governance in hand, ratified, and also given the many shortfalls in the current constitution, Batswana can have a tool in hand, not only to hold the government accountable but also a tool for measuring aspirations and shortfalls of our governance institutional framework.
Botswana has not signed, nor has it acceded or ratified the ACDEG. The time to ratify the ACDEG is now. Our Movement, Motheo O Mosha Society, with support from the Democracy Works Foundation and The Charter Project Africa, will run a campaign to promote, popularise and advocate for the ratification of the Charter (#RatifytheCharter Campaign). The initiative is co-founded by the European Union. The Campaign is implemented with the support of our sister organizations: Global Shapers Community – Gaborone Hub, #FamilyMeetingBW, Botswana Center for Public Integrity, Black Roots Organization, Economic Development Forum, Molao-Matters, WoTech Foundation, University of Botswana Political Science Society, Young Minds Africa and Branding Akosua.
Ratifying the Charter would reaffirm Botswana’s commitment to upholding strong democratic values, and respect for constitutionalism, and promote the rule of law and political accountability. Join us in calling the Government of Botswana to #RatifyTheCharter.
*Morena MONGANJA is the Chairperson of Motheo O Mosha society; a grassroots movement advocating for a new Constitution for Botswana. Contact: socialcontractbw@gmail.com or WhatsApp 77 469 362.
Opinions
The Taiwan Question: China ramps up military exercises to rebuff US provocations
US House Speaker Nancy Pelosis visit to Taiwan has violated the One-China policy, and caused the escalation of tensions across the Taiwan Strait. Experts and political observers across the spectra agree that Pelosis actions and subsequent pronouncements by US President Joe Biden gave impetus to an already simmering tension in the Taiwan Strait, provoking China to strengthen its legitimate hold on the Taiwan Strait waters, which the US and Taiwan deem as international waters.
Pelosis visit to Chinas Taiwan region has been heavily criticised across the globe, with China arguing that this is a serious violation of the one-China principle and the provisions of the three China-US Joint Communiqus. In response to this reckless move which seriously undermined China’s sovereignty, and interfered in China’s internal affairs, the expectation is for China to give a firm response. Pelosi visit violated the commitments made by the U.S. side, and seriously jeopardized peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.
To give context to Chinas position over Taiwan region, the history behind gives us perspective. It is also important to note that the history between China and Taiwan is well documented and the US has always recognized it.
The Peoples Republic of China recognises Taiwan as its territory. It has always been the case even before the Nationalist Republic of China government fled to the previously Japanese-ruled Island after losing the civil war on the mainland in 1949. According to literature that threat was contained for decades first with a military alliance between the US and the ROC on Taiwan, and after Washington switched diplomatic recognition to the PRC in 1979 by the US One China policy, which acknowledges Beijings position that Taiwan is part of One China. Effectively, Taiwans administration was transferred to the Republic of China from Japan after the Second World War in 1945, along with the split between the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) and the Republic of China (ROC) as a consequence of the Chinese Civil War. Disregarding this history, as the US is attempting to do, will surely initiate some defence reaction on the side of China to affirm its sovereignty.
However, this history was undermined since Taiwan claimed to democratise in the 1990s and China has grown ever more belligerent. Furthermore, it is well documented that the Biden administration, following the Trump presidency, has made subtle changes in the way it deals with Taipei, such as loosening restrictions on US officials meeting Taiwanese officials this should make China uneasy. And while the White House continues to say it does not support Taiwanese independence, Bidens words and actions are parallel to this pledge because he has warned China that the US would intervene militarily if China attacked Taiwan another statement that has provoked China.
Pelosi, in her private space, would know that her actions amount to provocation of China. This act of aggression by the USA seriously undermines the virtues of sovereignty and territorial integrity which has a huge potential to destabilize not only the Taiwan Strait but the whole of the Asia- Pacific region. The Americans know very well that their provocative behavior is deliberately invoking the spirit of separatism masqueraded as Taiwan independence. The US is misled to think that by supporting separatism of Taiwan from China that would give them an edge over China in a geopolitics. This is what one Chinese diplomat said this week: The critical point is if every country put their One-China policy into practice with sincerity, with no compromise, is going to guarantee the peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. Therefore, it was in the wake of US House speaker Nancy Pelosis visit to Taiwan, that China, in a natural response revealed plans for unprecedented military exercises near the island, prompting fears of a crisis in the Taiwan Strait and the entire Asia-Pacific region. The world community must promote and foster peace, this may be achieved when international laws are respected. It may also happen when nations respect the sovereignty of another. China may be in a better space because it is well capacitated to stake its territorial integrity, what about a small nation, if this happens to it?
As to why military exercises by Beijing; it is an expected response because China was provoked by the actions of Pelosi. To fortify this position, Chinese President, Xi signed a legal basis for Chinas Peoples Liberation Army to safeguard Chinas national sovereignty, security and development interests. The legal basis will also allow military missions around disaster relief, humanitarian aid and peacekeeping. In addition the legal changes would allow troops to prevent spillover effects of regional instabilities from affecting China, secure vital transport routes for strategic materials like oil, or safeguard Chinas overseas investments, projects and personnel. It then follows that President Xis administration cannot afford to look weak under a US provocation. President Xi must protector Chinas sovereignty and territorial integrity, of which Taiwan is a central part. Beijing is very clear on One-China Policy, and expects all world players to recognize and respect it.
The Peoples Liberation Army has made it clear that it has firepower that covers all of Taiwan, and it can strike wherever it wants. This sentiments have been attributed to Zhang Junshe, a researcher at the PLA Navy Research Institute. Zheng further said, We got really close to Taiwan. We encircled Taiwan. And we demonstrated that we can effectively stop intervention by foreign forces. This is a strong reaction from China to warn the US against provocation and violation of the One-China Policy.
Beijings military exercises will certainly shake Taiwans confidence in the sources of its economic and political survival. The potential for an effective blockade threatens the air and shipping routes that support Taiwans central role in global technology supply chains. Should a humanitarian situation arise in Taiwan, the blame would squarely be on the US.
As Chinas military exercises along the Taiwan Strait progress and grow, it remains that the decision by Nancy Pelosi to visit Chinas Taiwan region gravely undermined peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, and sent a wrong signal to Taiwan independence separatist forces. This then speaks to international conventions, as the UN Secretary-General Antnio Guterres explicitly stressed that the UN remains committed to the UN General Assembly Resolution 2758. The centerpiece is the one-China principle, namely, there is but one China in the world, the government of the Peoples Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China, and Taiwan is a part of China. It must be noted that the US and the US-led NATO countries have selectively applied international law, this has been going on unabated. There is a plethora of actions that have collapsed several states after they were attacked under the pretext of the so-called possession of weapons of mass destruction illuminating them as threats – and sometimes even without any valid reason. to blatantly launch military strikes and even unleash wars on sovereign countrie
Opinions
Internal party-democracy under pressure
British novelist, W. Somerset Maugham once opined: If a nation values anything more than freedom, it will lose its freedom; and the irony of it is that if it is comfort or money that it values more, it will lose that too.
The truism in these words cannot be underestimated, especially when contextualizing against the political developments in Botswana. We have become a nation that does not value democracy, yet nothing represent freedom more than democracy. In fact, we desire, and value winning power or clinging to power more than anything else, even if it harms the democratic credentials of our political institutions. This is happening across political parties ruling and opposition.
As far as democracy is concerned, we are regressing. We are becoming worse-off than we were in the past. If not arrested, Botswana will lose its status as among few democratic nations in the Africa. Ironically, Botswana was the first country in Africa to embrace democracy, and has held elections every five years without fail since independence.
We were once viewed as the shining example of Africa. Those accolades are not worth it any more. Young democracies such as South Africa, with strong institutions, deserves to be exalted. Botswana has lost faith in democracy, and we will pay a price for it. It is a slippery slope to dictatorship, which will bring among other excess, assault on civil liberties and human rights violations.
Former President, Festus Mogae once stated that Botswanas democracy will only become authentic, when a different party, other than the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) wins elections, and when the President of such party is not from Serowe.
Although many may not publicly care to admit, Mogaes assertion is true. BDP has over the years projected itself as a dyed-in-the-wool proponent of democracy, but the moment its stay in power became threatened and uncertain, it started behaving in a manner that is at variance with democratic values.This has been happening over the years now, and the situation is getting worse by the day.
Recently, the BDP party leadership has been preaching compromise and consensus candidates for 2024 general elections. Essentially, the leadership has lost faith in theBulela Ditswedispensation, which has been used to selected party candidates for council and parliament since 2003. The leadership is discouraging democracy because they believe primary elections threaten party unity. It is a strange assertion indeed.
Bulela Ditswewas an enrichment of internal party democracy in the sense that it replaced the previous method of selection of candidates known as Committee of 18, in which a branch committee made of 18 people endorsed the representatives. While it is true that political contest can divide, the ruling party should be investing in political education and strengthening in its primary elections processes. Democracy does not come cheap or easy, but it is valuable.
Any unity that we desire so much at the expense of democracy is not true unity. Like W. Somerset Maugham said, democracy would be lost in the process, and ultimately, even the unity that was desired would eventually be lost too. Any solution that sacrifice democracy would not bring any results in the long run, except misery.
We have seen that also in opposition ranks. The Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) recently indicated that its incumbent Members of Parliament (MPs) should not be challenged for their seats. While BDP is sacrificing democracy to stay in power, UDC is sacrificing democracy to win power. It is a scary reality given the fact that both parties ruling and opposition have embraced this position and believe democracy is the hindrance to their political ambitions.
These current reality points to one thing; our political parties have lost faith in democracy. They desire power more than, the purpose of power itself. It is also a crisis of leadership across the political divide, where we have seen dissenting views being met with persecution. We have seen perverting of political process endorsed by those in echelons of power to manipulate political outcomes in their favour.
Democracy should not be optional, it should be mandatory. Any leader proposing curtailing of democracy should be viewed with suspicion, and his adventures should be rejected before it is too late. Members of political parties, as subscribers of democracy, should collectively rise to the occasion to save their democracy from self-interest that is becoming prevalent among Botswana political parties.
The so-called compromise candidates, only benefits the leadership because it creates comforts for them. But for members, and for the nation, it is causing damage by reversing the gains that have been made over the years. We should reject leaders who only preach democracy in word, but are hesitant to practice it.