But week in and week out we do get treated to a regular and quite remarkable diet of acrimony as exchanged between advocates of the various parties. Those of us who are not involved must be watching this ever-on-going exchange with concern, perhaps even horror. Michael Dingake made an attempt in Mmegi the other day to convince us that it may be a lot better than it seems, that those who are described as mortal political enemies may go off into the sunset, hand in hand, like Ndaba and Boko when they went to Moscow together.
It is possible that in the good old days, a BDP stalwart could sit down happily with a BNF member. Seretse and Koma did, after all come from the same tribal group and district. But in 1967 the former did approve a charge of sedition against Koma, Henderson Tlhoiwe, Pretty Molefhe, and Klaas Motshidisi, which was hardly an act of goodwill. And as far as I have understood matters, there was no degree of goodwill between Seretse and Matante or indeed, more collectively between the BDP and the BNF with the former openly regarding the latter as a bunch of rat bags. Maybe they all sat together over a cup of coffee and shared ideas about the needs of the country. But it’s hardly convincing, is it? But let’s suggest, as a theory of sorts, that there is a profound difference in public life in the pre-diamond years and public life since then. It can hardly be otherwise because money has brought about change in every area of life both private and public and it is hardly credible to believe that the political scene is the one and only exception. In fact, there are three elements of public life which dominate – they are cash, vulgar, lovely, beautiful cash in great mounds like an Aladdin’s cave. The second is straight forward acid, nasty, poisonous acid or venom if you prefer. And the third, rather obviously, is confrontation. For many of us, the three together make for a most dismaying spectacle. Turn this way or that and only rarely can one escape into cleaner fields. The politicians are prone to remind us about botho when it suits their needs, but only rarely it seems do they exercise it themselves.
