Stop fueling hatred between us- Masisi
Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Tuesday January 31, 2023 06:00
Masisi’s tone was more reconciliatory. When addressing democrats during the welcome ceremony for the Member of Parliament for Shoshong, Aubrey Lesaso who was a BNF member of the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC), Masisi urged members of his party to desist from fueling hatred and dislike between him and Khama. “It must be noted that I wish that one day I and my president Ian Khama could talk and forgive each other.
He is still my president. I supported him fully during his tenure. I do not believe in hate and today I encourage our members to desist or stop spreading hate speeches or telling untruths because it causes war amongst us.” he said.
There has been an ongoing ‘war’ between the two leaders since Khama vacated office in 2018. The two leaders have be trading accusations against each other and Khama has since fled the country against allegations that the Masisi’s government wants to kill him. A warrant of arrest was issued recently against Khama following charges of alleged illegal possession of weapons against him. The President also informed Shoshong residents that tribalism should not be encouraged at all since it could bring divisions in the country.
He stated that Botswana is known as a peaceful country and therefore it should continue as such. The President also praised Khama for his 'heroics' as a President during the 2011 strike. "I want to thank former President Ian Khama for having been firm during the recession when there was a massive public sector strike in 2011 where public servants wanted salary hike. I supported him then as the president of the BDP. He did well as the leader of our party and through the support from the BDP," he said.
Masisi’ statement follows an explosive interview on ENCA’s Check Point where Khama revealed what he must achieve three things before returning to Botswana. The Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF) patron revealed that before returning to home soil he must first change his will, then undergo a full medical test and complete his docier explaining the treatment he has received since leaving office.
Khama further told the South African media outlet that he is afraid of coming back to Botswana because of information that he will be killed after a staged arrest.
Meanwhile, Masisi issued a stern warning against his party leaders for failure to attend party events. Masisi said it is surprising that some leaders keep on giving excuses that they do not have fuel or money to attend party activities.
“Some of the MPs and councillors would want the party to renew their mandate for them to contest the coming general elections yet they cannot give back to the party. We are what we are today because of this party. If we did not have the support of the BDP members, then some of us could not have been in councils and Parliament.
Let’s not forget that some still want to come back, yet they cannot even assist their members to attend party activities. The members are observing all these and know that some may be voted out because of that during the party primary elections known as Bulela Ditswe. We should learn to appreciate and give back to the party,” Masisi said.
He further reminded them that they have an obligation to pay a monthly subscription fee to the party as a way of giving back to the party. Still on the matter, as per the BDP constitution, a sitting MP or a councillor cannot contest for primary elections while owing a subscription fee. That alone disqualifies one from the race.
On other matters, Masisi told the members that they need to appreciate all their former leaders for what they did and the challenges they faced when they were ruling the country. “They all had different challenges but they managed because they had our support,” he added.
On the issue of roads, he said his Cabinet has agreed that the constituency funding budget should be diverted to paving roads. He said paved roads would help people to access other wards easily and also address complaints about untarred roads.