The ramifications of the BDP's presidential project
Dolly Byrone Thebe | Monday August 30, 2021 09:18
Under the inspiration of their charismatic chief campaigner, President Mokgweetsi Masisi, the party with confidence spoke with no lack of effort about a “born again” BDP creature, distinct from the one Batswana had become accustomed to over 55 years back.
What did not make the party’s work light was the fact that tension between the President and his immediate predecessor, Ian Khama had reached feverish heights and all time low.
All of a sudden, the BDP under Khama's leadership’s obituary was written and shared it widely with the general public. In came the new Masisi BDP. On the strength of the narrative of revitalise BDP, the people listened and the party achieved a resounding victory.
There were many promises. But the one that seemingly stood out underrated is the Presidential ‘phantsha programme’ launched by Masisi himself at a well-attended political rally in Boteti. “Ke ta toga ke phantsha”, he said then. Those in attendance and beyond interpreted his statement to mean that he would soon spill the beans. The country became both excited and anxious due to the matter.
Some likened the phantsha project to the late Maitshwarelo Dabutha’s famous bombshell. Masisi was now the new ‘Dabutha’ bringing back the magic of the past and making people remember past political icons with nostalgia. The good times were back, people thought.
The unsuspecting and gullible nation did not take notice of the fact that the BDP had contracted a new disease- the loose tongue problem. Added to the numerous woes the country is suffering is the BDP’s tongue. The party just does not know where and when to stop talking.
They say talk is cheap but the developments unfolding are proving that talk is not always cheap. Under the phantsha programme, various agencies led by the Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP) got into a busy mode drafting and revising charges of corruption against certain prominent people who were part of the previous “discredited” administration. Perceived or real enemies were targeted, shamed and humiliated under the phantsha scheme. And for once, people somewhat began to have faith and confidence in various government agencies from the Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP), Directorate of Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC), Directorate of Intelligence and Security (DIS), Botswana Defence Force (BDF) and Botswana Police Service (BPS).
There appeared to be a fearless government digging out dirt and corruption everywhere and the so-called sacred cows were going to be hunted down and exposed. Therefore, a cure for the cancer of corruption had been found.
Prominent people from the previous regime and their close allies were portrayed as corrupt and having stolen billions of pula and it was just a matter of time before the money believed to have been hidden in foreign accounts was repatriated. The principal target of the phantsha project was Khama, the President’s number one political adversary, Bridget Motsepe- a childhood friend of the Khamas and a prominent South African businesswoman, Isaac Kgosi, the former DIS chief, a rival of the new DIS boss Peter Magosi, Welheminah Maswabi (code named Butterfly, believed to be a close associate of Kgosi), and as well as Sebina brothers who were suspected to have made it in business due to their close association with Kgosi and by extension Khama.
The American humorist John Billings once said: “It ain’t ignorance that causes so much trouble. It is folks knowing so much that ain’t so.” The trouble with the ‘new’ BDP is that it knows so much that is not so. As many with hindsight benefit have come to discover, the ‘new’ BDP cannot restrain its tongue. The country is paying heavily and will continue to pay for BDP cheap talk.
Now the tables have turned and continue to turn. The phantsha project is a ‘big scam’ and is being exposed for what it is. Our courts are clearing those who were perceived to be corrupt. Masisi knew too much about Khama which was not so.
They say many soldiers are led to faulty ideas of war by knowing too much about too little. So the war campaign against Khama has faltered because his tormentors knew too much that was not correct. Khama and his allies have been vindicated and they are going to cash big albeit at the expense of the taxpayer. It turned out Khama is a good reader of our laws. When he made the sojourn to India to meet the Dalai Lama in defiance of government orders, he knew that the law was on his side.
When he took along his security details along on his Dalai Lama trip he also knew that the law was on his side. When he asked for government air transport, he knew the law was on his side. And his correct reading of the law has been confirmed by a court of law.
So after all the phantsha project was a populist stunt motivated by emotions while disregarding the laws of the land. Our courts have not confirmed the supremacy of the law.
The ‘Butterfly’ matter was a sad episode in the history of prosecution. A young woman’s life had been disrupted for two years for charges ‘manufactured’ by agents of the state.
The Butterfly issue seemed to be part and parcel of the grand scheme of taking aim at Khama. Butterfly was supposed to have committed crimes on behalf of her masters Kgosi and Khama. So the whole Butterfly matter was informed by the phantsha project.
Delivering judgement on the marathon case between Welheminah Maswabi and the DPP, Justice Kebonang had this to say, “despite the doctrine of separation of powers the position of DPP is however, not insulated from Executive authority or oversight. In terms of Section 112(2) of the Constitution the President’s power to appoint the DPP also extends to removing him from office.”
The issue of lack of clear separation of powers is haunting the country. The DPP might be finding it difficult to bite the hands that feed it. Based on the experience of Butterfly, the call for strengthening of separation of powers must gather momentum.
The Butterfly case could be just the tip of the iceberg and God knows how many injustices have been committed in the past and how many more are coming as a result of overzealous investigators and prosecutors who are prepared to go to any length to persecute rivals of the State, real or imagined. All in all, we are witnessing the various manifestations of irrationality and actions motivated by emotions and a desire to fix political rivals. The phantsha project it would appear was a product of misinformation.
It raises questions on our intelligence gathering. I believe heads will roll in the government enclave. A huge staff reorganisation is a must. But for now, the taxpayer is saddled with a huge bill, feeling one of the ramifications of phantsha programme.