Boko dangles dikano on the campaign trail

Spira Tlhankane | Monday September 23, 2024 12:10

“I come to you with oaths because you and I are united by these oaths,” Boko says every time he stands in front of multitudes as he continues to launch the UDC candidates for political office. The UDC is a coalition, which consists of the Botswana National Front (BNF), the Botswana People’s Party (BPP) and the Alliance for Progressives (AP). Boko says with UDC it is not just usual flowery promises being made by politicians to gather votes, but has insisted on the campaign trail that life will be better under his administration if the UDC wins next month’s polls.

By nature, oaths and/or promises have the same goal, which is to encourage people to keep their word, especially when it is tempting not to. Boko, on the campaign trail, tends to use religion, especially Christianity to put across his messages. With the use of the word ‘cross’ repeatedly, Boko often makes a Biblical reference to show that the UDC will keep their oath just like Jesus who kept his promise till he died for his people on the cross.

“If a man vows a vow to the Lord, or swears an oath to bind himself by a pledge, he shall not break his word. He shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth,” reads Numbers 30:2 in the Bible. Matthew 5:33 goes on to state, “Do not break your oath, but fulfil to the Lord the vows you have made”. Those are just random Biblical verses about keeping oaths but in the political circles, some pledges amount to nothing after elections. Even though Boko did not dish exactly out any of the above Bible verses, his words have shown that he is a man aligned to the religious way of owning words.

Boko says no UDC member should be confused as he presents candidates before them because the latter have sworn to die to keep these oaths. “I am talking about the oaths that we won’t depart from,” he said. Boko emphasised that voters should know that they will be voting for all the pledges and that the leaders who will be elected would honour their promises. “They will fulfil these promises and will not push their interests or self-enrichment,” he highlighted in one of his campaign speeches.

Boko said if the UDC wins next month, people should have big hopes and expectations because all promises will be fulfilled. He emphasised that all the promises they have made are important and will become true if his party wins the government. “Our oaths have been agreed upon and will be honoured. They don’t have to bootlick me as the president for the promises to be fulfilled,” he pointed out. He added that people should not come to him after the election to beg for promises to be fulfilled rather should ask him when the oaths will be honoured. Boko said people should demand accountability if the promises are not fulfilled.

The former Gaborone Bonnington North Member of Parliament (MP) said all the promises the UDC has made leading up to the upcoming elections belong to everyone. “We all stand on top of these oaths. They unite and bring us together,” he said. Boko said if people vote for the UDC, they should start observing changes in the first 100 days of his administration. “If there are no changes, people will be free to protest. Also, demand to see Boko because you and him are bonded by oaths. Tell them you want your rights as promised,” he said.

Despite being outlined in big and paged documents, election manifestos are often forgotten after elections, leaving voters disappointed and dispirited. Boko said he is not about to exploit voters through election promises, which later turn out to be empty pledges and unfulfilled commitments. With some political parties often making promises in these manifestos with the intention of gaining significant influence over the voting population, Boko said with his party, they can never violate their oaths.

Boko said among their oaths as the UDC is to make sure that the elderly who take care of their grandchildren in the villages are paid a monthly allowance of P1, 800. “By the end of November if the UDC wins the elections, you should see an EFT alert on your phone indicating that P1, 800 has been credited into your account,” he promised. Boko also said other political parties do not know anything about fulfilling promises no wonder they cannot die for their oaths. He said they have had leaders in the past not fulfilling their promises after elections. “They usually become richer while voters get poorer,” he said.

One of Boko’s oaths is to make sure that Batswana, especially the young, get decent jobs. “I am not talking about Ipelegeng, I want them to have dignity and to live better lives with sustainable jobs. They should not earn a salary which is less than P4, 000, that’s the UDC promise,” he said.

In terms of health promises, Boko said with the shortage of medicine and health care practitioners in Botswana clinics and hospitals, they have sworn that the UDC government plans to introduce a National Health Insurance Scheme that will afford all Batswana to access all the health services available. Among Boko’s biggest pledges is the National School Feeding programme, which will ensure that children eat a healthy diet at public schools.

His other quest to win voters has also led him to dangle promises to people including proposing to overhaul the current education system and introduce and institutionalise STEM-based education and human resource development system within a year. Boko’s UDC says that in addition, it will provide funding for the establishment of state-of-the-art laboratories, libraries and computer facilities to improve STEM skills and knowledge.

But whether voters grant Boko his wish next month will depend heavily on how well they think he will do in keeping all his promises.