Candidates bear the high cost of democracy

Patricia Edwin | Friday June 27, 2014 16:53

 

While the ruling party candidates do have to bear some cost, it is those from the opposition ranks who have to carry the heavy cost of democracy.

Candidates in Tonota South constituency are in agreement about the fact that the cost of a campaign is no child’s play. 

Though the candidates approach their respective campaigns differently, the fact remains that for things to move forward funds are needed.

But while Thapelo Olopeng of the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) says the ruling party covers most of the expenses, it is not so with his opponent, Themba Joina. The Botswana Congress Party representative is feeling the pressure of the campaign.

Joina, who originally comes from Shashe Mooke, but resides in Gaborone where his law firm is located, has had to set aside P100,000 in his ‘war chest’. But the budget is proving to be inadequate.

And this is how family funds are being depleted in the battle to get to the National Assembly.  Every time the founding and long time leader of MELS commutes to the constituency, which is frequent, P2,000 is gulped only in petrol. The high fuel consumption is because he also has to travel between the wards.

A far and wide constituency, as is the case with Tonota South, the more the cost because you have to reach everyone and most of the wards need vehicles that are relevant for driving on bad, sandy and rocky roads.

“When I come to the constituency, I know that I have to reach all wards, and some of them are distant such as Mabesekwa. I know that when I am going there I cannot drive a sedan. It has to be a van, which means more fuel because of the roads,” says Joina.

He said that during the campaign the vehicles need servicing and that is some of the money that he has budgeted for.  He said that at rallies he would spend something like P12,000 or more to cover everything including the Public Announcement System.

All this is before he has to dig deep to support his campaign team.

“When I travel I need my campaign team, my choir if I am going to run a campaign that will make an impact which means I need a combi or two to be trailing me,” he said.

Then there is marketing. The campaign material is necessary but very expensive. Joina says that to make 200 posters it costs him P2,000 per batch and in his constituency there are nine wards which would each need about 300 posters which brings the whole cost of big posters to P27,000.

Joina says simultaneously, the party has to also start doing their part such as providing manifestoes for wards, summary of manifestoes for registered voters, party posters, posters of party president so he must be visible in the constituency and flags.

“These are things that take some of the costs from me and things that make the campaign attractive and show the seriousness of the campaign,” he said.

Just as he has budgeted P100,000 for the campaign, he estimates that the party will spend about the same amount on the things that they do provide for the candidate.

The BDP man, Olopeng, on the other hand has it a little easier.  He says all their campaign materials are provided for by the BDP and these include billboards, posters, the vehicle and fuel. All the candidate needs is to build teams and work hard.

“We have people who have volunteered to sell and market the party because as the BDP we have moved away from selling the individual, but we sell the party,” he said.

He said that those who volunteer at the moment meet for about two to three hours in their cells and then go home, but in the last two months as things intensify they would have to arrange meals and so on.

Olopeng says that he has friends of the campaign, relatives, friends of the BDP who donate towards different events and the campaign.

He said that even for the launch people were donating both financially and in kind.

“Others would give me tents, buses or anything that can help with the success of the event. Any time we need to do something and there is need for money, we approach the people who would and they do. We raise funds and we manage,” explains Olopeng.

He has no specific budget for the campaign as he responds to the needs as they arise. He says that for as long as you know how to deal with people and you treat them with kindness and understanding and let them share in your vision, they will always come forward and help.