Expect unfair elections
Oarabile Mosikare | Friday June 13, 2014 15:38
This incident alone caused so much consternation in the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) that a few days later Minister of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism Tshekedi Khama, went on record in one of the private radio stations condemning the act.
Speaking to Gabz FM, Khama blamed some members of the BDP central committee for the chaos surrounding the primary elections for the northern constituencies held in November.
Khama accused them of trying to influence the outcome of the elections by interfering in other candidates’ constituencies and also trafficking voters.
He specifically cited Tonota South and Serowe South constituencies as some of the areas where bus loads of people were ferried from Gaborone.
As if this was not enough, almost all the losers for council and parliamentary positions protested about massive irregularities.
Some Members of Parliament like Moeng Pheto, Pono Moatlhodi, Olebile Gaborone and Peter Siele were some of the candidates who complained about the outcome of the elections.
The litany of protests revealed voter trafficking of the highest magnitude. The democrats proceeded to accuse one another of cheating.
Tsholetsa House, the BDP headquarters ignored the majority of cases despite open voter looting. The unfair treatment meted out by, and on fellow democrats, left BDP ‘losers’ reeling with anger.
Moatlhodi complained that the central committee gave him a cold shoulder when he protested about the underhand tactics employed by his opponent Thapelo Olopeng.
Psychologically some of them were not prepared for the loss. Just like bitter spouses they deserted their political home citing an emotional drifting from the BDP.
They proceeded to launch their careers as mekoko (independent candidates). While Pheto resigned from the BDP to contest as an independent candidate in Lentsweletau-Mmopane constituency, Moatlhodi decamped to the opposition, Botswana National Front (BNF).
Again to demonstrate that some characters in the ruling party will do anything to win the elections, some party activists engineered a bogus petition that led to the controversial postponement of the Francistown West parliamentary by-elections late last year.
The police recently confirmed that they are investigating the petition case.
Then came the issue of voter trafficking allegations perpetrated by all the major political parties.
Every week there are reports of unprecedented voter trafficking and since some of the politicians were resting on their laurels during voters roll inspections the illegal voters are going to participate during the general elections.
We reported about open voter theft in which 88 voters, all from the same plot - ended up on the voters’ roll in one Gaborone constituency. It is not clear which party is responsible for this case and the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) is still investigating the issue.
The owners of the house professed ignorance about any of the people registered under their plot numbers.
Last week we reported that 40 people who are illegally registered as staying at the same plot in Bontleng, could vote in the October elections as the IEC said the period given for inspection of the voters’ roll has lapsed.
These few cases are just a tip of the iceberg. The electoral commission is daunted with cases of register objections. Last week Mmegi carried another confirmation from the IEC that there are about 588 cases of this sort.
The Jwaneng-Mabutsane constituency is leading in this regard with 303 cases followed by Mogoditshane with 141.
This is a crystal case of the proverbial chicken coming home to roost. With these many cases registered only from the first round of registration, this can only challenge the fairness and validity of the vote.
Even worse, is that in some instances, when the courts were about to preside over these cases, the objectors withdrew them.
We learnt that party leaders motivate these withdrawals and the BDP and the Botswana Congress Party (BCP) are guilty of this offence. Why the parties would decide to settle out of court in these voter trafficking cases boggles the mind.
To use the retired vice president Mompati Merafhe’s language, the 2014 general elections will be a circus. This is because the prevalence of voter looting is too much and they will be compromised. Whichever party wins the elections should not celebrate because these elections are a political farce.