BDP denial, must it be swallowed?

Michael Dingake | Tuesday August 26, 2014 13:00

“The 21 Infantry Battalion is a military unit with about 1000 soldiers and consists of more than four companies commanded by a lieutenant colonel… We have been reliably informed that the advance party of the deployed unit will leave Selebi-Phikwe on August 28, while the main body leaves on September 6 and returns in November (that’s after the elections 24th October 2014). We are further informed that there are no arrangement for troops to return to Selebi-Phikwe to vote.”

One expected, as usual, this researched statement of disenfranchisement of such a large contingent of voters to be explained away by the BDP government who have become a cunning embodiment of elections cheats, but not to be denied.

I didn’t imagine that this authoritative statement of someone who obviously did a research before running to the press, if he did, or most likely the press pouncing on him to hear from him as candidate in the elections, how his campaign was going and how he saw his prospects of victory or otherwise. I say the statement is authoritative not simply because he says, “we have been reliably informed “, but because he gives information that shows his information is authentic. 

Surely the man couldn’t have sucked the information of the name of the battalion, its strength, the exact dates of its departure and its return to barracks, from his thumb! The blanket denial by the public relations officers is unconvincing.  The Minister of Justice, Defence and Security Honourable Ramadeluka Seretse should stop treating Batswana as suckers. In an interview with Mmegi he makes a garbled statement disregarding the substance of  the allegations of the parliamentary candidate. He is alleged to have said, ‘.if at all the schedule is like that, it cannot be changed because BDF cannot withdraw everybody from the operation. He said it would be a very unfortunate thing to do.’ Specifically he states, “the defence of the country cannot be left open. The country’s security must be assured at all times.”

Nobody denies that the security of the country must be assured at all times. The fact of the matter is that Botswana is a democracy which together with all the other democratic countries upholds that citizens must be enfranchised, not disenfranchised! 1000 votes uncast may be the breakpoint between a democratic dispensation or a dictatorship!  The Minister knows it; a loss of one vote, just one vote, might mean the loss of a council ward, a parliamentary constituency or a government. The security the Minister talks about can be maintained without compromising the opportunity of a government people deserve in a democratic dispensation!

At the conclusion of every general elections we have a huge discrepancy between the registered voters and the registered voters who actually cast their ballot. This discrepancy is brought about quiet clearly by workers whether in the public sector or the private, denied to go to the polls to cast their vote. The BDP government or the Ministry of Justice Defence and Security not long ago, in 2009 to be precise, did transfer some police from the area where they had registered to vote to an area they couldn’t vote while on transfer.  It was in the newspapers. That transfer could have been done for one reason only, to deny those police, a likely disgruntled lot from voting for the opposition. The government has tabs on all of us if you watch how they gerrymander constituencies in the delimitation.

BDP regime may not be the first to resort to intrigues to manipulate elections outcome. It is nonetheless  unacceptable that government violates officers’ citizenship rights with impunity. Government, having sampled the sweetness of power for over 40 years of uninterrupted rule, wouldn’t let go the reins of government easily but do everything  to stay in power. It’s common knowledge that though security forces in particular, the army, enjoys a relatively large budget vote than other departments which the opposition parties have found unjustifiable, the soldiers- particularly the lower ranks don’t share the budget equitably with the higher ranking officers, who get the lion’s share of this cake.

The larger chunk of the Defence budget, of course, goes to procurement of military equipment primarily procured for status of prestige since army is virtually grounded, as it enjoys a relatively peaceful environment un-warranting exigent readiness for combat or regular operation .

Can anyone tell me whether full potential of Mapharangwane base, has been realised? I remember  originally the base, though military, was partly to cater for civil aviation, as a support  landing site for international flights.

Or is this a figment of my fertile imagination? I remember asking a question while in parliament on its  maintenance prompted by the apparent white-elephant status? Meantime problems of soldiers’ accommodation and other service conditions relating to the army don’t appear to have been solved.

Have military personnel the right to have political spokespersons like all other Batswana interest groups or is theirs is to be barracks-bound, shuttled around at the whim of un-conscionable politicians, performing police duties they are untrained for, to die natural deaths, because though we are quick to condemn rogue African regimes for acts of inhumanity against their people, we aren’t in the habit of contributing  to the UN peace forces,  when needed. Hope to find time to analyse fully, government intrigues through its hidden policies to stay in power. Watch this space!