Of Morupisi and moral probity in Botswana politics
Lebogang Mosikare | Monday September 25, 2023 06:00
Morupisi, who spent his whole life working for government until he ascended to the plum job of PSP, ingloriously left the government enclave after he was charged with criminal offences.
In 2022, the High Court in Gaborone convicted Morupisi of one count of money laundering and two counts of corruption. However, Morupisi escaped spending time in jail after he was fined and given suspended sentences on all his counts.
Amid his chequered history following his conviction and subsequent sentencing for money laundering and corruption, he has bounced back into the limelight after delegates at the BPF congress elected him party chairperson.
Morupisi slugged it out with former Lerala/Maunatlala legislator, Prince Maele, but the former emerged victorious in a tight contest after he garnered 435 votes against the latter’s 408 votes. Just like other political parties in Botswana, the BPF has been at the forefront of the anti-corruption crusade which it says is high and needs to be nipped in the bud.
“It is immaterial that I was convicted and sentenced for corruption. For me, I will talk about the fight against corruption when it is appropriate to talk about it,” said Morupisi when quizzed about his status versus the party high position he is holding.
In addition, opposition parties and not necessarily the BPF have on numerous occasions criticised President Mokgweetsi Masisi led administration accusing it of being the most corrupt in the history of the country. So it was not ironic for former president Ian Khama-who is also the patron of the BPF-to continue his usual onslaught against the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP)-led government accusing it of encouraging corruption when he virtually delivered his speech during the recent BPF congress. Khama said “we started the BPF in 2019 because we realised the BDP was corrupt and does not care about Batswana...”.
When contacted for comment, BPF spokesperson, Amogelang Mokwena said that Morupisi was voted by the majority of BPF delegates which is a clear indication that democratic principles were followed to the letter when he was elected.
Be that as it may, Mokwena said that it does not mean that Morupisi will derail from preaching the principles and policies of the BPF.
He added that other national executive committee (NEC) members of the BPF will also guide Morupisi so that the decisions he takes are in line with the principles and aspirations of the BPF.
The BPF spokesperson also explained that had the BPF taken a decision to bar Morupisi from standing for elections on account of his criminal past, it would have looked like it was using selective justice to restrict him from standing for any position of his choice within the party while delegates wanted him.Mokwena also clarified that Morupisi was nominated from the floor to stand for chairmanship position and had not initially expressed interest to contest for the position.
“Even if some people are or were against the nomination and subsequent election of Morupisi as the chairperson of the BPF, the party delegates have spoken with their votes that he is the best person for the position even though there may be implications following his election,” said Mokwena. Last year, the Umbrella for Democratic Change through its president Duma Boko petitioned the government on key national issues of concern which it said threatened the country’s democracy.
Amongst the issues that Boko mentioned was corruption and gender-based violence (GBV). “That given the growing level of corruption, the government should set up a commission of inquiry into what are the causes of corruption and how to address it through strong oversight institutions that report directly to Parliament," Boko said: The ascendance of Morupisi as the BPF chairperson has reignited debate about whether political parties in Botswana, and not necessarily the BPF, can be trusted as vanguards of Botswana’s various national aspirations. In 2019, the Alliance for Progressives (AP) fielded a council candidate, Taujoruavai Maekopo, to represent the party in the Gumare-Tubu ward in the Ngamiland constituency. Maekopo was later sentenced to five years in jail for raping his 12-year-old cousin. During the Mmaphula East by-election in Palapye this year, the Botswana Congress Party (BCP) was pounded with brickbats for fielding Gaolathe Kenosi as its candidate.
Gaolathe was accused by his son, famous social media personality Dan Kenosi, for having abused his mother. Dan claimed that the abuse that his mother endured from Gaolathe led to her death although no official report was made with the police when Dan’s mother was still alive.
The BCP came to the defence of Gaolathe by amongst other reasons saying that “...We have pronounced our unequivocal condemnation of GBV in all its forms and manifestations and remain committed to advocating for policies that protect and uplift all marginal groups in our nation...In the 2019 general elections, comrade Gaolathe Kenosi was a candidate of the UDC. No allegations of GBV were made against him and they only emerge when he chooses to contest under the BCP symbol...It would be unfortunate, and sad if it were to be established that the GBV claim is in any way propelled by a political motive... Given the seriousness in which we regard GBV, we obtained legal advice from our legal team who advised us that no matter how grave, untested allegations cannot serve to disadvantage any individual...”
Asked why there is an outcry from some sections of the public that political parties are not walking the talk about various things that they preach such as corruption and GBV, a University of Botswana (UB) politics analyst Adam Mfundisi said corruption is rife in the country. “Corruption and maladministration in Botswana have grown exponentially since independence and the Khama and Masisi administrations have worsened the scourge to pandemic levels... The government (politicians and bureaucrats), business, civil society, voters and the media are all to blame for abetting and being complicit in corruptive practices. Administrative ethics and accountability have not been taken seriously in Botswana's economic, social and political landscape...,” Mfundisi said. According to Mfundisi, Morupisi’s corruption and money-laundering case is a drop in the ocean as numerous cases have come before the country’s courts with limited impact on the anti-corruption crusade. “The anti-corruption infrastructure is weak and ineffective including the anti-corruption legislation, judiciary, enforcement agencies, and public service. We do not have strong and effective laws to prevent and deter corruptive behaviour in both the public and private sectors. Punishment and penalties on corrupt people have not been tough and uncompromising, in particular on top politicians and bureaucrats alike,” Mfundisi opines. “In addition, abettors of corruption have not been investigated, prosecuted and meted heavy jail sentences to curb the spread of corruption. The 'big fish' as people describe influential politicians, businesspeople, and bureaucrats who perpetuated corruption in Botswana have been slippery and out of reach of the law. They have arrogated themselves to be above the law and therefore act with impunity and immunity. This culture has promoted corruptive practices in Botswana.” He is also of the view that the fight against corruption in Botswana is ineffective because law enforcement agencies such as the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC) are not doing their job properly. “...Since the advent of the current Masisi government, there has been instability within the anti-corruption body including the regular firing and changing of the Director General (DG) of the DCEC. This reflects in part continued interference and intervention in the operations of the DCEC by top politicians and bureaucrats in the Office of the President (OP)...The culture of ethical and accountable public service has waned in Botswana’s political space. All in all, we need to clean our politics and promote honour in public office. Politicians and bureaucrats without honour have no moral campuses to do good to society. Honour is a pillar in public affairs because only people perceived to be honourable can be trusted with public office,” said Mfundisi. Quizzed if Morupisi will have the audacity to champion the BPF’s fight against corruption on the campaign trail given his past criminal record, Mfundisi responded: “Just like other politicians in Africa and Botswana, Morupisi may/might campaign against corruption and voters will believe his crusade. We should not as a country single out one person out of a bunch of wrongdoers. The current political culture promotes corruption. One of the most contributors to corrupt practices is conflict of interests which is not seriously deemed as a criminal enterprise and punishable by custodial sentences. We have witnessed in Botswana, in addition to corruption, pathological lies being tolerated and rewarded by society. Botswana has a secretive government which in essence promotes corruption. The successive BDP administrations have been averse to the introduction of Freedom of Information legislation which could have been a critical lever in fighting corruption in Botswana.” Asked what could be done to fight against corruption in the socio-economic and politico-legal spaces, Mfundisi said: “My considered view is that we need to reform the Constitution of Botswana and usher in an ethical, democratic, and accountable government. Good governance is critical for the development of a culture of ethics and accountability in the administration of this country. Thereafter, we can formulate subsidiary legislation to enforce ethics and accountability including a code of conduct for politicians. In the Republic of Kenya there is an ethics organ to vet out politicians standing for political office to ensure honour and ethics in politics. Do politicians in Botswana have the motivation to develop and apply codes of conduct to regulate their behaviour? I doubt it!” Another UB politics observer, Professor Zibani Maundeni, is of the view that the politicians with a chequered past and not necessarily Morupisi cannot be barred from holding positions of power and influence within their respective parties and at national level unless the Constitution is amended. Maundeni said that as a country, ‘we should guide political parties to introduce a code of conduct for their activists.’ Failure to do that, Maundeni added, means that people who have committed serious crime will continue to stand for political office. “Without a law that regulates people who can stand for political office, people with tainted reputations (committed serious offences) will continue to hold positions of power,” said Maundeni.