We commend BCP and UDC presidents

Mmegi Editor | Wednesday October 22, 2014 16:27

The debates are also important as a part of the election process, and in their own right, can somewhat enhance democracy, as politicians tackle issues, and take each other to task on a variety of issues.

The debates also give the candidates an opportunity to share their ideologies with potential voters, who in turn are able to make informed decisions.

On Monday night Gabz FM, in collaboration with the American Embassy organised a presidential debate, which saw presidents of Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) Duma Boko, and Botswana Congress Party (BCP) Dumelang Saleshando facing each other.

The debate stirred a lot of interest as even those who could not attend, made it a point they stayed put, in order to hear the first-ever presidential debate in Botswana. The two leaders did extremely well during the debate, but what about the sitting president, Ian Khama?

Does he find the debates a total waste of time, or is he so confident that his party is going to win the elections such that he does not see any need to engage in such?

The president is the president of the people, not the president of his members of parliament. He is supposed to put the interests of the country before his own, and his party’s.

The Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) had made it clear from the onset that they were not going to be part of the debates, but did not give any reasons why they decided to boycott the discussions.  Even though BDP parliamentary candidates had not been attending the debates, the president should have been a bigger man and realised the importance of honouring such an invitation.

Unless Mr President completely believes that his party will hold on to power forever, he should have honoured the invitation to defend his government’s policies and give clarification where he felt the opposition leaders were misleading the public.

Why is it that the BDP was so against the debates? Is it because the party is so arrogant that it believes it does not have to account to its public? Presidents of UDC and BCP should be commended for taking the nation of Botswana seriously.

We are convinced that Boko and Saleshando are made of true presidential material that deserve the State House.

 

                                                            Today’s thought

             “People shouldn’t be afraid of their government. Governments should be afraid of their people.”

                                                         – Alan Moore, V for Vendetta