Khama should not block whistleblowers
Mmegi Editor | Thursday June 26, 2014 12:54
The appeal was motivated by recent newspaper reports of a standoff between the Botswana Defence Force (BDF) commander and the head of military intelligence, amongst others. The Gaborone High Court brought an abrupt end to what was a potential expose of how government spies on its citizens.
In his meetings with soldiers, the President and Commander-in-Chief reportedly appealed for secrecy in the military and denied reports that the BDF commander is serving notice. This is the same BDF commander who boldly stated before legislators a few weeks ago that he is not accountable to the nation of this great republic.
Prior to the Tuesday meetings, the Office of the President denied reports that Khama was going to meet soldiers.
We wish to remind Mr President that the army is an institution made up of human beings, some of whom cannot just stand by and watch things go bad and do nothing about it.
They are patriotic citizens who care a lot about the future of their country; they are brothers and sisters, spouses, partners to those civil servants who were persecuted for participating in a legal strike three years ago.
These soldiers are fathers and brothers and relatives to the young students who are affected by the poor education system. They are sons and daughters of the old rural poor you often parade on national TV to serve soup and donate blankets to.
Most importantly, soldiers are human beings who are tired of the propaganda that is spread on national media everyday - government this and that.
Mr President should be mindful of the fact that the so-called leaking of information is a clear reflection of a society hungry for transparency, accountability, and most importantly, effective oversight institutions.
The majority of Batswana are not happy that their funds are channelled into some projects, which do not improve their lives. Some individuals are inexplicably becoming billionaires overnight.
The nation wants to see everybody held accountable for corruption, fraud or mismanagement of public funds through established institutions such as courts.
Since it is clear that some institutions have been silenced and disempowered, patriotic citizens have made it their mission to expose wrongs. We therefore call on everyone who loves this country to expose any suspicious transaction in their departments, for the culprits to be held accountable for their actions.
Today’s thought
“Everybody should be held accountable for their actions”
– President Ian Khama 2009
State of the Nation Address