The Dr Nasha memoirs: demonic?

Lawrence Ookeditse | Thursday March 27, 2014 09:21

Some have branded her an opportunist, a political chameleon not to be trusted; some say she is seeking her shine under the sun.  So, all have had opinions about it and the opinions range from the outright cynical and sadistic to the outright ecstatic.  But is this a demonic book, one meant to cause maximum anguish for the ruling party and its leader?

Well, a friend of mine has put it out there for all sundry to know he thinks Dr. Nasha takes Batswana for fools. For him, she simply is writing this as a way of redeeming herself: she has wronged Batswana previously- exactly how he does not say. She has been a proponent of the current administration and has served in its executive; so why now? He asks, and a couple others support the premise.

While at it, however, a smart young woman also asks, but what should have been the right time for her to write her memoirs? It is this question that I will answer while I show why we can at times be the most cynical of people on earth.

The Speaker of Parliament has written a book and the book is about her trajectory through life and politics. It is an autobiography. Thus, it being that means she gets to pick when and where she wants to publish her book. That should be enough to answer to those asking why now. It is not a question we should encourage even.

Now, the more serious question is one on her motives.

A certain section of BDP members were not amused: why is she attacking the party and its President? Well, this is a misguided question in that the assumption is she is attacking her own party and its leader. She is not. Actually, a great deal of the book has fond things about the BDP. But then again, she does some critical appraisal of her own political party. That should be appreciated: the smart should take that and use it to appraise the party and see if it is in the sort of direction that all its members want it to be in. Her thoughts should be used as some measure of self check on the organization and its future.

Bury heads in the sand some may wish, but the truth that a stare right back at all in this country is that dynasties come and go. A BDP epoch came and it will go; a BCP epoch may emerge, or a BNF epoch. Each single one of those will collapse at some point however. What those in power have control over, sometimes even, is the duration of their reign. This is also limited for they could only prolong it for a few more years. Eventually, it collapses. This is the story of all hegemony dating back to the Greek, Hapsburg, and African empires of ancient to date. Thus, leaders and followers alike should use books like this as guides on how they could prolong the reign of their organizations.

This book therefore, should be used by those within the BDP as a guide on how better they could sustain the organization. It should not be made to be about recriminations about why she said what she said. Leaders should be criticized- not insulted, but criticized.

While political parties thrive on being organized, Dr Nasha has also called for something that those who understand the art of running political organizations should embrace. Surely, it cannot be a sin for her to advise that parties hold their leaders accountable and that members participate more effectively in the running of their organizations.

The problem is that we are in the elections silly season. It being that season, the opposition did a great job to spin on this issue and make seem as though she has also given up hope on her own organization. By now criticizing the book, some without reading it first, those in the BDP have bought the opposition dummy.

Is she seeking to have the country absolve her of blame? The most cynical in the opposition have said she is now trying to distance herself from the BDP and pretend to have been good for the country. Look, this woman has served this country for many years, and until you charge her with something, we cannot waste time arguing about whether this is a book written out of guilt or not.

This book is far from demonic.  Those in opposition and those who are in the BDP who found this to be an offensive piece of literature surely do not see where the world is headed. It is okay for leaders, past and present, to write and point out the good and the bad within their organizations. This is a hallmark of political growth. Now, go buy Dr Nasha’s book. Read it, and let’s engage after you’ve actually read it.