Politicians turn wine into water
Staff Writer | Friday June 6, 2014 16:33
The ambitious or at least well-meaning documents are public declarations of each party’s principles, policies and intentions should its representatives be voted into power. Essentially, manifestos are both “love letters” and promissory notes from political parties to the electorate, a form of gentleman’s agreement for the supply of votes in exchange for fulfilled promises.
Generally, the three main actors in the general elections – the Botswana Democratic Party, Botswana Congress Party and the UDC – cover the same subjects in their manifestos representing general human ambition. Issues such as the economy, job creation, citizen empowerment, youth development, education, healthcare, posterity, security and service delivery usually headline.
As noble and time-honoured as the manifestos appear, practically in local political history, they have been an exercise in futility.
A curious cocktail of factors perennially conspires to ensure that these manifestos, laden with glowing promises, remain mere pieces of paper to be swept up and disposed off after the election.
The central factor has been that the opposition parties, try as they may with their manifestos, have never been given the opportunity to put them into practice by the mere fact that they have never won majority in a general election. For all intents and purposes, the BDP manifesto has, thus, been the only such document capable of operationalisation at national level. However, the ruling party’s manifestos occupy the bottom rung of a complex ladder of policymaking structures, which include the National Development Plans, Botswana Excellence Strategy and executive powers. While overlap on this ladder is possible and common, the BDP manifesto is unlikely to be foremost in the minds of ministers and their assistants when they take oath in Parliament. Neither is it to be found on the desks of these ministers when they conduct their daily duties. And rightfully so.
The opposition parties, however, continue to churn out manifestos every five years while overlooking the critical need to secure buy-in from both the candidates and the targeted voters.
The problems inherent in an all-knowledgeable party conferring its manifesto to hapless voters are worsened by the political indifference and ignorance that has plagued Batswana since independence. Voters do not hold political parties to their manifestos and it would appear many do not know that they have the right to demand that their representatives respect the gentleman’s agreement.
Even within the opposition where some members will win at legislative and council level, the manifesto is quickly tossed aside in favour of mindless quarrels and political point-scoring.
Meanwhile, the economy, job creation, citizen empowerment, youth development, education, healthcare, posterity, security and service delivery, take a back seat, with voters either resigned to their fate or worse, unaware that their indifference and ignorance has resigned them to their fates.
Today’s thought
“Political promises are much like marriage vows. They are made at the beginning of the relationship between candidate and voter, but are quickly forgotten.”
- Dick Gregory