That is the sickening truth found in the fact that the BDP has appointed 106 nominated councillors for itself and gave the opposition a measly eight.
This is flagrant abuse. We all expected the BDP to get the majority of the nominated councillors as it had 53 percent of the vote in last month's general election. But to take a massive 106 and leave the opposition with only eight is not fair. The combined opposition got 47 percent of the vote and if the BDP was fair, it would have appointed councillors according to party strength in the election.
What is the rationale behind the disgraceful disparity between the opposition and the BDP? Of course even the BDP does not have a proper answer, other than to admit that this is due to self-interest.We are told that at independence when the system was first adopted, it was purely to help bring into political leadership people of rare skills who may not be available among the elected leaders. The situation has since changed drastically from what obtained in 1966. The leadership is enlightened. The civil service that supports the leadership is skilled such that the need to have specially elected councillors has been negated. The tragedy however is that these nominated councillors gobble millions in earnings when this should not be the case. Why is the tax payer burdened with paying people that should not be paid in the first place? Some of the nominated councillors are rejects from the election.
The reality is that the BDP has just hired 106 of its cadres who will now be well resourced to help the party in its future campaigns. How smart! The BDP is now assured that an additional 106 of its cadres will have financial resources and cars bought using government schemes and thus adding to its existing unfair advantages that it enjoys over the opposition.
If President Ian Khama honestly believes in transparency and democracy as he says, this is one blight that he urgently needs to remove from the face of democracy. It is a huge wart on our face and it does not bode well for this country.
Today's Thought
"Abuse is the weapon of vulgar"
-Samuel Griswold Goodrich
