The politricks of politics
Keletso Thobega | Thursday September 18, 2014 12:14
I won’t go into the nitty gritty, but with Sir G’s death, the arrest of certain journalists, the endless break-ins and assaults, as well as the mudslinging between political parties; we have had more than enough going in.
Anyways, I have been following the Btv and Gabz FM debates, when my schedule allows. I have found them quite interesting; sans the short time they are allocated. What I have found most interesting is that not all our politicians are good speakers! I’m not the best public speaker around. I struggle to articulate myself verbally, and it suites me fine since I’m generally, reserved and soft-spoken, so I have deep-seated admiration for gifted orators.
I believe it takes double doses of talent, skill and boldness to hold people to attention and engage them verbally. I have paid attention to good speakers, from the guy wa ko kasi who smokes too many blunts, but is such an excellent storyteller, that when he narrates an incident you are left spell bound even when you know that he’s lying, to the politician who speaks so smoothly and convincingly that it becomes difficult to not endear to them.
The debates have put our politicians under the spotlight and some have had embarrassing incidents or fiercely debated into voters’ hearts. Of course it would be unfair to judge a candidate’s potential solely on the basis of their debate skills, but can we agree that not everyone who is standing for elections is a “typical” politician? I guess politics has its own code of conduct, lingo and agenda. You must learn and know the game inside and out to survive or emerge victorious. It takes balls (no pun intended) to stick it out in the messy maze of politics. As we all know, politics is a dirty game.
Over the past few weeks I have also attended rallies when the opportunity arose. I have however, noticed that when some candidates mount the podium, they throw a slew of accusations against their opponents, use insults and talk down the opposite parties. I guess we could say that’s how the game is, but I have found it distasteful. Freedom square politics marred with below the belt antics and shooting from the hip have lost relevance. If election candidates are to earn the voters’ trust and faith, they should exhibit a bit more civility and emotional intelligence. Who wants a leader, o e kareng leknotraka?!
Perhaps, some politicians want to take on a radical approach, but I suggest they leave that to the EFF kindergarten, who I suspect they take a leaf from. In Botswana, we don’t have room for that. We are too small a nation to be toyi-toying. We are living under tough times yes, but challenges are part and parcel of life. A lona ne le re go tla tobetsega go ya go ileng? Alarmist tactics are not the way to go. If anything, they incite fear among people.
Batswana are amiable and laid back people who detest strife and aggression… I have noticed that certain politicians and their cronies have opted to use fear tactics, incite fear and other dirty games to lure voters. I guess one would argue that it’s the way politics pans out but it’s a turn off. Imagine leaving the comfort of your home to stand in the sun listening to people finger pointing others, calling each other names; going on and on about so and so has slept with that one, that one is uneducated, she’s a thief, he’s a liar, he killed that one, blah, blah.
The character assassination doesn’t make me, the discerning voter, question the credibility of the person being fingered, but rather the one who’s spewing those statements. Youth for one, have little care for petty politics. Instead, they would want to know: What would you bring to the table if I voted for you? It makes more sense to discuss real issues and engage voters, instead of peddling accusations, homogenous banter and jealousy, backstabbing, gossip, malice and mudslinging. That can be left for internal party politics. As for us voters, we just want a better Botswana. Tse dingwe tse tsa ditlontlokwane re sharp ka tsone!