From Botswana Democracy Party (BDP) to Botswana Die- Hard Party (BDP)!
Michael Dingake | Tuesday December 2, 2014 14:41
She deliberately risked being called a ‘Western stooge’ by declaring herself a multiparty democracy. By joining the existing and growing number of nations who recognised that multiparty democracy was the in-thing for the future, a model government system to be the standard bearer of pro-people flag of developing humanity in line with the dynamism of unity in diversity, Botswana was visionary and forward-looking.
The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Botswana was remaining true to some of Tswana maxims which applaud freedom of speech and equal status of Batswana e.g: Mmualebe o bua la gagwe … mahoko a kgotla a mantle otlhe! One party state system was military dictatorship in another form. Detestable!
Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. In the march of time, the previously democratic BDP and its leaders became corrupted by power, became intoxicated with its perks: Status of being worshipped, the genuflections the BDP officials sampled from lesser Batswana, the embodiment of state power in personalities; the authoritative image of executing and administering laws with arrogance; the abuse of public resources with impunity; the license to neglect the public interest; the promotion of self-interest; the assumption of the noli ma tangere attitude towards lesser breeds, all these was heady wine, good to be imbibed and imbibed copiously to make un-divorceable life .
Not only BDP bigwigs but small BDP fries swaggered and still swagger around, telling anyone who wasn’t of their ilk: Re a busa, ga re buse le lona (we are in power, and we aren’t in partnership with you!
Initially when the founding leader of the BDP was alive and true to the multiparty democracy spirit, he likened democracy to a sapling which had to be nurtured and tendered to grow. In due course, his disciples submitted to the wielding of power ad infinitum; multiparty democracy became a pastime fad honoured in lip service.
Instead of democracy serving Batswana all the time, it became a privilege to serve those in power exclusively; democracy became too good to be every Motswana’s property. Everything that was meant to make democracy endure was done to devalue it: The constitution, instead of being maintained to keep in step with the times, was neglected to atrophy; administration of general elections to make them relatively free and fair was denied until the Opposition intervened vigorously to have an Independent Electoral Commission (IEC); sections 77 – 79, instead of amendment to align them with the popular demand of equality of tribes, was left as is and only later amended-grudgingly- after public pressure; instead of transforming the state media into public media the noose was tightened around its neck and dragged to the Office of the President to be closely supervised ; public party funding to level the playing field of the electoral process was ridiculed out of court; the Department of Intelligence and State Security was created purportedly for national security but to all intents and purposes to conduct surveillance on the opposition and the deviant factions within the BDP and reported directly to the President on the state of his personal security and his party - an attempt was made to whip up Batswana into a yes-siring people!
Freedom House, the American Research Center keeping tabs on the world’s democratisation process is reported to have recently downgraded Botswana from the rank of ‘democratic states,’ ostensibly due to the falling curve of incidences that previously made Botswana rank with the nations of the world who still believe democracy continues to be relevant and sincere on the democratic principle. Careful analysis of the ‘Botswana democratic process’ reveals, if it can still be called that, Botswana has got stuck in the un-shifting sands of five-yearly periodic general elections!
The elections, unfortunately have currently acquired a new innovative dimension of gross abuse of the provision of ‘specially elected MPs and Local government councilors’: The controversial provision was recently manipulated to increase ‘special elected members’ in local government councils.
The number was raised to 119; 115 of these were allocated to the BDP and four to the opposition despite the fact that BDP got 46 percent of the popular vote and the opposition 54 percent; obviously it’s preposterous people with ‘special skills’ can be found in the BDP camp alone! The bigger share for the BDP perceivably can be interpreted as nothing less than reinforcement to help BDP win the 2019 general elections.
Someone has said, we often wonder at the wicked, but what we should wonder at, is the wicked being unashamed of their wickedness! BDP no longer pretends that it believes in multiparty democracy.
The party is out of its wits how to die in harness and for this the specially elected members are expected to stand as faithful sentinels guarding its citadel shaky wallsl Not only has the BDP brought back this year’s poll rejects, it has resurrected previous elections poll rejects and loaded the councils with rejects rejected many times over, indirectly acknowledging the specially elected members of parliament and councils has always been a mighty political gimmick unrelated to ‘necessary skills’ to represent Batswana!
We don’t need further evidence to prove that the BDP has moved from being the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP1) to being Botswana Die-Hard Party (BDP2). BDP refuses to DIE even when killed DEAD by the combined force of its load of political wickedness and the opposition!