The president of the main opposition Botswana National Front (BNF) Otsweletse Moupo says the elections are a joke. “How can the house elect people who do not represent any tribe?”, asked Moupo. However, he said he does not take the House of Chiefs seriously because it doesn’t have any significance.
“After all the so called House of Chiefs is rubbish. And the members have even made it worse now by electing people who do not represent the community,” he said. Moupo attributes this to the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) government, adding that it does not take the House seriously.
“House of Chiefs is now a talking shop and it does not have much significance. The specially elected members, have nowhere to report. The paramount chiefs in that House have really made a big mistake by electing the two and I must stress that they have even lowered the image of the House. It is really a shame because the paramount chiefs in the House cannot dictate who to vote for,” Moupo said.
The BDP Executive Secretary Botsalo Ntuane said that he does not think the elections in the House of Chiefs warrant any comment from his party. “As far as we are concerned, the elections are a routine affair that takes place every year and is controlled by members of the House,” he added.
Like Moupo, the Publicity Secretary of Botswana Congress Party (BCP) Dumelang Saleshando said the House of Chiefs after all is not important. “If the regulations allow them to contest elections, it is okay, because ascending to those positions is subject to the democratic process of elections. And this does not matter to us because the House itself does not have legislative powers and therefore is not an important,” he added.
The chairman of SPIL and Re Teng Multi Cultural Coalition Batshani Ndaba says his organisations have not yet met to discuss the issue. “But my personal opinion is that any person who is a member of the House can occupy any position in the House,” he said.
He added that SPIL is not concerned very much with chieftainship issues. “Our organisation is there for the promotion of the Ikalanga language,” he added. For further comment Ndaba referred Mmegi to the secretary general of Re Teng and Coordinator of Kamanakao Lydia Nyathi Ramahobo who was unavailable at the time of going to press.
The chairman of Pitso Ya Batswana Keetla Masogo said he does not have any problem with specially elected members being elected chairman and deputy chairman of the House of Chiefs. “These people were elected by others and they were not appointed by the minister and that is why we do not have any query. It could have been a problem if they were appointed by a minister,” he said.
“If the paramount chiefs in the House have seen it fit to elect them that’s fine and there are reasons why they elected them. If they are capable, let them do the job and ask the paramount chiefs why they elected them not us because I think there is a reason why they did that,” he said.
