I totally support the establishment of DIS... but not absolutely
Richard Moleofe | Friday July 18, 2014 13:35
There were a lot of contestations from across the spectrum of the public with differing viewpoints. The majority of the people were of the view that Botswana did not need to invest its merger resources in an intelligence kit. They were wrong and uninformed about the functions of what an intelligence establishment or organ would do to enhance our democracy.
People in this country are largely still in the dark about the true and proper functions of an intelligence organ.
In this case the blame is laid right at the door of DIS because they have not taken the effort to educate the public on their critical role in our democracy. It is with irony that even when there is so much public discontent, DIS has gone for six years still without a department of public affairs and has allowed its chief to act as both the leader and the spokesperson of the agency. He absolutely has failed in the latter position and it is still a matter of debate on whether he has also succeeded in his primary role.
It seems by and large we were the last country in Sub-Saharan African to procure ourselves an intelligence kit. That’s not surprising if you take into account the fact that we still were the last to get ourselves a system of national identity cards. But I seem to understand the reason why! There is no hurry in Botswana. But let me not paint a picture that may mislead our youth who may think that what I am emphasising here is that Botswana had no intelligence community of any sort as a precursor to DIS.
I am aware of the fact that Botswana’s priorities were more on education and the development of a dysfunctional rural infrastructure rather than spend hundreds of millions of Pula in the establishment of something whose returns are not tangible or either quantitative. DIS’s establishment was long overdue in all respects.
The primary function of a national intelligence organ is to source for information on all possible spheres of life and keep the political leadership informed about what goes on in the country and abroad our borders. This helps the political leadership to anticipate and plan ahead. Therefore DIS’s establishment was overdue in many respects.
A lot of countries take intelligence work far more seriously than we do as the citizenry and government in Botswana. Take for instance our powerful neighbour to the south. South Africa has a Ministry of Intelligence which is often used to sniff for information all over including in Botswana through its many tentacles of the intelligence web.
Zimbabwe too takes intelligence work far more seriously and they have their operatives in every foreign mission abroad and further they have taken advantage of the Diaspora to have a thorough reach in areas that were less accessible in the past.
Israel is one country whose existence hinges tightly on the existence of its intelligence community. Among the many organs of the intelligence community in Israel, the outstanding one is Mossad. This is the premier National Intelligence Agency of Israel. Israel’s existence depends solely on the work of its intelligence community and if you take all forms of intelligence out of the equation including Judaism, the religion; there will be no Israel.
Mossad was established in 1948 and with this you will come to realise that the foundations of Israel as a nation are tied to the existence of their intelligence agencies. The Jews have had a very difficult history and especially with the extermination of six million of them in Europe in the past century. For them intelligence work is a matter of life and death.
Botswana as a landlocked country needs an effective and strong intelligence organ in order to enhance our security and reduce our vulnerability. One of the areas where this country has been left vulnerable for a very long time is in the area of food security. Government has in the past and to this day taken this matter very lightly and we need an intelligence organ that can advise on this matter and bring along options. There are internal and external options to the problem and the Director General’s job is to advise cabinet on these issues. Food security is not the only burning issue that needs the attention of our intelligence community. In serious democracies, all major and grand strategic projects are always accompanied by a thorough intelligence report.
At the moment we cannot be sitting with so many white elephant projects and half cooked ones which have cost the tax payer dearly. It all shows the lack of intelligence input. Further from here we will have no excuse from our intelligence for letting down the country. This country is found limping in all grand strategic areas of water, electricity and business in a broader sense and particularly in the mining industry.
Our intelligence must find out ahead of time what our neighbours are planning and what their views are on our own projects. Otherwise we would not have gone on cloud nine of excitement about the Mmamabula power generation project while our perceived and potential customer was building Medupe not far from our border near Ellisrus, a favourite shopping place for a former vice president who was MP in Mahalapye at the time. Next week I wish to discuss the workings of the Israeli intelligence community and especially Mossad which is responsible for intelligence gathering abroad the borders of the State of Israel and how they have kept the country going.
I have made my case for the existence and support of DIS, BUT…! From the feedback I was given by my intelligence friends who think I have often sounded too critical of the intelligence community, my answer has been singular and unwavering.
I totally support the establishment of DIS but not absolutely. I am not just trying to play a semantic game here but what I mean is that the country needs DIS and I support that line of thought. But I do not absolutely support DIS in its current form and shape because it is thuggish in my best definition of this intelligence agency.
Richard Moleofe is a retired military officer*