Let There Be A Limitation Clause

Some time last year there was a legal case involving the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) president who is also the state president and a prominent BDP functionary in which the latter took the BDP and the state president to court.

The applicant amongst other things wanted the courts to reverse his suspension from the party, which disqualified him from representing the party during national elections. He was the party's parliamentary candidate before he got suspended. Besides the collateral damage where the applicant's prospect of a parliamentary seat were shattered, this case helped the nation come out of slumber by exposing short comings in our constitution particularly with regards to immunity enjoyed by the state president.

Some ruling party members, either being sympathetic to their cadre or coming alive to the danger and possible abuse of this absurd constitutional provision, have been motivated to push for a holistic constitutional review (including the provision on immunity for the sitting president). This move is quite necessary, but it is very important that the review of the constitution provides sustainable solutions and addresses the current shortcomings on presidential immunity over and above ensuring that what happened to the former BDP Secretary General or worse does not happen again.

Editor's Comment
Inspect the voters' roll!

The recent disclosure by the IEC that 2,513 registrations have been turned down due to various irregularities should prompt all Batswana to meticulously review the voters' rolls and address concerns about rejected registrations.The disparities flagged by the IEC are troubling and emphasise the significance of rigorous voter registration processes.Out of the rejected registrations, 29 individuals were disqualified due to non-existent Omang...

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