Voter apathy still a recipe for disaster
Mompati Tlhankane | Monday December 19, 2022 06:00
This is the same election which the ruling Botswana Democratic party (BDP) regarded as ‘free and fair’ while the opposition coalition Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) was convinced the elections were ‘stolen’.
Presenting a chapter on governance, peace and security of the second Transitional National Development Plan (TNDP) in Parliament this week, Mmusi said a national Voter Apathy Study was conducted in the financial year 2021/2022 and some of its key findings include inadequate political and electoral education, detachment of elected representatives from constituents for most part of the five-year period and lack of trust and confidence in the electoral process. “In order to enhance democratic participation during NDP 11, Parliament introduced digital broadcasting of proceedings and the Botswana Speaks Programme.
The National Assembly commenced virtual live broadcasting as well.
These initiatives will strengthen openness, accountability and community participation in the delivery of Parliament services,” he said. Mmusi added that government has committed to undertake the amendments to Botswana’s constitution following its review. He said this critical exercise aims to strengthen the functions of oversight institutions and thus improve good governance in line with the expectations of Batswana. Speaking of constitutional review, the recently released Presidential Commission of Inquiry into the Review of the Constitution report revealed that Batswana had submitted that they want the Election Day be declared a public holiday to encourage wider participation.
There were also submissions that the date of the general elections should be entrenched in the constitution rather than it being set by the President. However, in their recommendations the commission advised that the date of the general elections should continue to be set by the President under the Electoral Act. The reason some Batswana wanted the Election Day declared public holiday comes down to among others the issue of voter fatigue. Long queues and spending hours in the scorching sun waiting to vote often discourage individuals from going to the ballot especially those who have to return to their workplaces afterwards. Despite Batswana sharing how they want the elections to be conducted and the Commission not considering those submissions, voter turnout has been a consistent problem in Botswana elections.
This is especially the case in by-elections, which face dismally poor voter turnout as compared to the general election. Young people do not receive the right political education and do not see the need to engage in politics, a fact which has previously impacted young voter turnout in Botswana. It has been established that among the leading reasons people do not vote is that they are not interested. These people are not interested in politics because they outright hate it and do not support any political party.
Lack of knowledge also coincides with a lack of interest because some people don’t know much about elections or politics. They are at times not aware of who’s running for elections and sometimes they don’t even know there’s an election coming up. Others believe that their vote either does not count or does not matter, so they do not even bother voting.
They do not vote because they feel their vote would be wasted. There are also people who are fed up with empty promises by politicians and poor service delivery from the government.
Some Batswana are fed up with promises that politicians make when canvassing for votes, but forget them once in power. As the 2024 General Elections approach, low voter turnout could be inevitable in Botswana and if some of the challenges Batswana face are not addressed, this could be a recipe for voter apathy. Low voter turnout dents the credibility of any democracy as fewer voters cannot be representative of every Motswana. Eligible voters, especially the youth, still stay away from polling stations and this is the same people who could in fact, change the outcome of an election.