Elections are here; who wins?
Michael Dingake | Tuesday May 13, 2014 11:47
Genuine multi-party democracy, implies a dynamic political system with competing interests pregnant with a periodic alternation of rulers. A one-party state in a multiparty democracy is a contradiction in terms with no provision for reglme change, either due to ruling party manipulation or abject opposition surrender!
Both suggestions have an element of truth. The BDP has mastered the art of rigging elections, many observers including Batswana will dispute the rigging allegation; the rigging is subtle, not as crude and naked as the stuffing of ballot boxes or tampering with voters rolls: The BDP applies executive fiat and manipulation to win. There is the censorship and suppression of opposition policies, proprammes and leadership through monopoly of the state media, effectively denying the public the right and opportunity to vote intelligently.
BDP’s control of the state media is unsportsmanlike and cowardly; abuse of public resources for partisan and selfish ends is corruption of the highest order, synonymous with dictatorship, not democracy; the incumbency factor is further exploited to the limit by abuse of public resources and assets: vehicles, equipment not excluding public servants’ time which places the BDP in an unchallengeable position vis-a-vis the opposition. Besides funding itself indirectly by access to public resources, the BDP by virtue of its power to dispense largesse has the business community in its bag through award of business tenders reciprocated by donations and election campaign funding; last but not least, the BDPs deliberate resistance to pass laws conducive to an informed society e.g. Freedom of Information and Declaration of Assets and Liabilities laws effectively denies opposition-entitled ammunition and countermeasures to pierce the propaganda fortress of the cowering opponent. It’s an unequal battle from all dimensions!
On the other hand failure of the opposition to defeat the BDP may reveal unorganised/disorganised status. Only determined parties with functioning structures, passionate activists who interact with the public to disseminate information about their parties’ superior policies and programmes, parties whose activists interact and have rapport with the masses, have a track record of stability and consistency, equipped and passionate to dislodge the BDP from its saddle, can make a political impact on such a tenacious power-grabber; without an image of an entity deserving to be entrusted with duties of ruling the nation and perhaps with misperception of a disunity principle within its ranks, the opposition image and capability may be deficient.
What may be symptomatic of a disorganised/unorganised political outfit? Inability to attain decisions taken, mismanagement of structures, failure to maintain stability within and resort to false propaganda to attract followers and members and pulling in different directions may betray disorganisation. Any unstable, chaotic organisation cannot function nor attract public support, let alone achieve its mission as it will be unable to operate as a team as members don’t appreciate their role in the team! Lack of structures is a sign of weakness, ineffectualness and lack of focus, detrimental to achievement of party objectives and winning of power. Political party, consistent with all human organisations needs a leader, who ought to be firm but tolerant, fair but impartial, resolute but un-dogmatic, courageous but not reckless, above all, honest and eager to learn. What of members? To form a winning team, party members must subordinate their personal interests to party interest, otherwise the conflict of these interests will paralyse the team/ party, and it will score own goals or no goals; party members mustn’t play to the gallery but fulfill the mission of party, otherwise they undermine the objective of their party; moreover team members mustn’t only know their personal roles but appreciate desirable end results to win the trophy!
There is an assertion that ‘politics is a game of numbers!’ The assertion is half-true. Numbers matter obviously to win majority. To win a majority members mobilising the winning numbers must be quality members, knowledgeable in party policies, manifestoes, programmes and passionate to convince non-party members of the uniqueness of their party to deserve the majority vote! Half-tutored, semi-convinced members end up belonging to all-the-parties, including the oppressor BDP. Who, they vote for at the ballot box is anybody’s guess.
Lastly the unity fad must be unraveled. Essentially we are a multiparty democracy! Bilateral-democracy may come if it comes. It mustn’t be contrived! Batswana wish and believe a united opposition can defeat the BDP. The wish shouldn’t become the law of the Medes and the Persians! Wishes aren’t horses! Attempts have been made before for unity with limited success. Everything has its moment. Umbrella I collapsed at the negotiations table. All, without exception publicly acknowledged by four signatures on December 22, 2011. NO PARTY PULLED OUT! Most Batswana were disappointed but it didn’t mean MOANING and LYING must ensue! Singing ‘unity now!’ and cursing fictional ‘pullers-out’ serves to delude and demoralise! Time to stand up, dust ourselves and plan a more successfully negotiated future unity! Demoralisation and delusion five months before elections loses, not wins elections. It’s calamitous!