'People No Longer Feel Free To Express Themselves'

Botswana Council of Non-Government Organisations (BOCONGO) executive secretary, Reverend Mosweu Simane said that nowadays people are not free to critique government and its leadership. This he said, is borne out of fear that in workshops and conferences, people are afraid those close to the leadership will finger them, something which they say would bring retribution from those in power. He cited an incident in Francistown where they were discussing the National Development Plan 10, whereupon one presenter, who was on the floor presenting a point, which faulted government and all of a sudden "the man panicked, mumbled and later in his discussion changed his subject.

Later one colleague confided that a certain person, who is known to be close to the leadership, had walked into the conference room as the presenter was on the floor, hence the poor man panicked. That is how bad it is, people are not free to express their views any more," he said.