BDP wants ex-presidents out of politics
Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Monday August 1, 2022 06:00
In their submission before the commission, the BDP attorney Basimane Bogopa said; “former presidents should fulfill the role of being statesmen/women and as far as possible be restricted from taking up political office and formal employment. This is so because the government is taking care of former presidents.
Again, they are still paid just like any other government employee. The government is giving them everything they need as per the Constitution and he/she must be able to be assigned whenever there is need.”
Currently, former president Ian Khama is the patron of the Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF) and in the 2019 general election, he was the kingmaker as he campaigned for opposition parties in the various constituencies in the Central District.
This was further emphasised by the BDP spokesperson Kagelelo Kentse who said former presidents should not be politically active in order to get the respect they deserve. He said it is not politically correct to be having an ex-president who contributed immensely to the growth of the country only to later tarnish the image of the same country.
“We want former presidents not to be politically active. Former presidents deserve to be respected by society and therefore, we don’t want a situation where former presidents are disrespected at political rallies and still fight for political space in their retirement.
We want the government to assign them anywhere and wherever it wants without fear that they will tarnish the image of the country. They are still taken care of by the government with the taxpayers' money and it is the government's responsibility to look after statesmen,” Kentse said.
In an interview with Mmegi, political analyst Keaoleboga Dipogiso said: “Being the President of a country is the epitome of one’s political ambition. Once they have achieved that and ran their full term, what else is their interest in the political process? Countries that have placed a 10-year term, mostly sought to allow reciprocity, such that different individuals may take turns in political office. So, it is, therefore, desirable for retired presidents to avoid active political participation and focus on different courses of life, like, nation building, international statesmanship and other work requiring their leadership experiences.”
Dipogiso, however, said if former presidents are back to active politics, their experience in the presidency may become handy in helping their own party manage its internal affairs and may provide advice where necessary. He said such experience and perks of being a former president, endow the individual with great advantages ahead of other competitors within and outside the party. Dipogiso said the presidential benefits such as transportation, security detail and others provided at the instance of the State, may be used against the State by the former Presidents, this creating two centres of power. Dipogiso said two things that are necessary are to trim access to benefits that may advance the political viability of the retired president.
He said another option is to place a moratorium on the activities an ex-president may be allowed to attend or participate in, the same way a moratorium is placed against ruling beyond 10 years. With the aid of the Khama magic, the opposition coalition Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) won a collective 15 parliamentary seats.
Now, pundits believe the BDP resolution is meant to destroy the Khama hegemony. Meanwhile, the BDP says as an attempt to strengthen democracy and cement national unity, Ntlo ya Dikgosi needs to be opened to all dikgosi as of right based on their being dikgosi. “This may take the form of devolution of the house such that it becomes a local house of Dikgosi or a house of Traditional leaders. Further, the naming of land adjudication institutions (Land Boards) should bear the names of either major villages or be named in accordance with the national spatial plan 2036. Any member of Ntlo ya Dikgosi, who wants to run for political office should abdicate and renounce his claim to the tribal seat,” BDP representative David Magang said when making submissions.