Is President Khama scared of Reginald Richardson?
Michael Dingake | Tuesday February 4, 2014 15:24
After a series of attempts to coax President Khama for an interview without success, he has now issued a challenge which Khama cannot duck without creating a public scandal, by ‘bragging’ that Khama is scared of him. When I was a small boy herding cattle at the cattle post, the quickest strategy to determine the pecking order of the young lads was to float a taunt to the effect that one cattle-herd youngster had intimated that he wasn’t scared of another: ‘Monna Kitso, you know Ditodi says he is not scared of you? He says you are in fact scared of him!’ That would be the battle cry that initiated a match.
Ditodi would of course snort at the allegation; the next step would be to get two sticks of moretlwa, hand one to Kitso and the other to Ditodi. To stop physical wrestling or throwing of punches a tree branch (letlhaku) would be placed between the raring stick fighters and the big boy umpire would watch delightfully as the two sorted each other out. Hard to say whether Richardson ever heard of this trick which worked without fail to settle the ranking between the cattle-herds out in the pasturelands. I will be surprised if the trick doesn’t ignite a reaction from H.E.
Reggie’s assertion could be interpreted from the specific perspective that Khama is indeed scared of him. He has given interviews to a number of individual journalists, among them the Voice newspaper, Botswana Guardian and a few foreign journalists but never to Gabz Fm. It could also be interpreted generally that Khama has never addressed a press conference since becoming president ; he fears press conferences like the plague. Not only does he avoid the press, he keeps a wide berth from parliament, never fields questions nor respond to criticism against his administration by MPs, something routine in the commonwealth countries where Prime Ministers and Presidents appear in parliament to be grilled on issues of public interest. Not Khama! He hides completely even when extra-judicial killings implicating him are reported. Arrogant and insensitive! He reminds me of Jan Smuts of the colour-bar South Africa, who demonstrated a cheeky attitude to opponents by saying: “’The dogs may bark but the caravan goes on...!” Such attitude is contemptuous, un-democratic and counterproductive. What democratic leader is this one who refuses to interact live with his people except when he is distributing vote-buying blankets or shaking hands for the same purpose? Does he suffer from an inferiority complex? Does he own up to political inadequacy and tries to lead the nation up the garden path by his so-called roadmap of five Ds: Democracy, Development, Dignity, Discipline and Delivery without elaboration? Is he simply overawed by the Fourth Estate’s skill of extracting the truth from prevaricators?
He needn’t be scared of irate journalist hurling a shoe at him like one did at GW Bush. Journalists are a very professional group, particularly the Botswana ones, they don’t and will never behave like hooligans unless he invades foreign lands and massacres people indiscriminately. Moreover as far as we are aware he is a very strong critic of presidents who behave like GW Bush, the butcher of Baghdad.
Though he has never condemned Bush for crimes against humanity and genocide he committed while president of the US, we know he has been scathing against Gaddafi, Assad, Bashir, Mugabe the lesser breed of human butchers! Come, Mister President you fear no man, how can you be scared of Reggie?
Batswana wish to know you better and this can only happen if you let Reggie and other journalists have a go at you! It is not enough to respond to kgotla tribesmen humbly requesting for government services or some Motswana lady begging for replacement of a collapsing ceiling or whatever! In other countries it is the norm to address press conferences instead of having stage-managed sweet-heart interviews which leave everyone puzzled and none the wiser. When an interviewing journalist grovels and scratches his head in awe of the interviewee, the exercise leaves the audience scratching their heads because answers don’t enlighten! Bootlicking must not be perpetrated at the expense of the public and the truth. The majority of Batswana are intelligent grown-ups; they expect to be treated intelligently and maturely. MPs and the public are entitled to know the man at the helm more intimately than through the banter at party conferences or at the obeisant kgotlas which know no more than wringing of hands, kowtowing and blind allegiance.
I wonder what our president thinks when he watches BBC and sees the grilling that David Cameron the British Prime Minister undergoes or watches the eNCA to see comrade Jacob Zuma heckled in the SA Parliament? Does he think these leaders are nuts or something? No sir, these leaders are abiding by the principles of Democracy, the first leg of Your roadmap!
We do know Khama has repeatedly stated that though in politics he doesn’t like politics because politics is a dirty game. The public is unconcerned about his rhetoric of dislike or otherwise of politics, but more concerned that he is the top politician in Botswana and in that position he is expected to deliver the political goods not to duck and dive in the deep waters of the political ocean! Whether he was dragged kicking and clawing into politics by the beleaguered former President Festus Mogae, is immaterial. The issue is, he is in it and must do his duties! Will Khama render unto Reggie what belongs to Reggie and not pamper Kaboeamodimo and his ilk with puppet crumbs?