Masisi must reset his toxic relationship with Khama

Kgosietsile Ngakaagae | Friday May 14, 2021 16:28

The last thing the nation deserved after three years of rule, by him, and 50 years of government, by his party, was to be told that the nation is being taken back to the drawing boards. The nation, had been screaming for a report on milestones, not excuses. What was even more depressing was that while his Cabinet, and himself, had gone on a retreat to introspect, they merely, “introspected others”. What was supposed to be introspection, became a tea-fest, where sitting as jurors, judges and executioners, they decided who would take responsibility for their party’s failures. At no point, did they acknowledge any responsibility for the state of the nation. According to him, and his Cabinet, the civil servants were failing the nation.

I had problems with his Excellency’s approach at several levels.  Firstly, His Excellency, and his party, have been returned to power more than 10 times on the merits and achievements of the civil service. I know nothing they have gloried upon, that was not achieved by the civil service. They have appropriated the achievements as their own, being the party in government. Yet, when it came to failures, they sought to absolve themselves.  There was even another reason. To begin with, all executive power constitutionally, vests upon the President. He exercises same through the civil service. The civil service, as he rightly pointed out, is the vehicle for the delivery of his constitutional mandate. The nation has employed him, on the basis of the success of his party at the polls, and he has, in turn, employed the civil service. That is why he generally has sweeping powers, to hire, and to fire. Essentially therefore, the civil service fails him, and he fails the nation. Seldom, do you hear a Chief Executive Officer report his workforce to the board that they are the reason why the company is failing, and that he is not responsible. Without ownership for the mess, I found the address irresponsible, and gravely disappointing.

It is fair to suggest to His Excellency, and the ruling party, that they are in a really precarious position. A reset speech, sounds fraudulent. After being returned to power at least 10 times on the same promises, nothing short of delivery, would do. The BDP, has only one ace left, and it is the one His Excellency, has on hand now. I really doubt that Batswana will be prepared to accept anything other than a credible report of delivery, come 2024.  It is really sad that the first three years of his rule, have been wasted in unnecessary and petty fights, with his predecessor. Time, and time again, commentators have complained that the feuds are a distraction from his constitutional mandate. He chose to look, the other way. The problem was never, the civil service.

The problem was, and has always been him and his ministers. The corruption he speaks of has never been about civil servants really. A world acclaimed civil service, was corrupted by the BDP political leadership, and derailed from its path of virtue.  The President and his Cabinet must go back on a retreat, and this time, do proper introspection. Proper introspection means pondering over whether he did the Banyana Farms tender, right. Proper introspection means pondering over whether his romance with perennial presidential blessers, worked well for his image, as a party leader. Proper introspection means pondering on why so many of the people he leads, seem to think that he has a propensity to be distant from the truth.  Proper introspection means pondering over whether accusations that he has a regionalist approach to public service appointments, is correct. Introspection, my leader, is about self, not others.

As it is right now, all His Excellency says, rings very hollow. It cannot be good, and it is in fact, not looking very good. Sadly, His Excellency, may be waking up too late. The nation no longer has capacity to stand on its own strengths. The cash mountain we used to sit on, in foreign reserves has vanished, under his watch. We are nearly, back to 1966; cashless. The only people sleeping and drooling, are Covid-preneurs, his corrupt Cabinet, and himself.

Days have passed since, and the anger has subsided, even if disappointment still lingers on. Coming to think of it, I believe it is not too late for His Excellency to salvage his image and that of his party. At least, he can go down trying.

My proposal is that he must go on a retreat with the former President, to discuss where it all went wrong, in an atmosphere of peace and reconciliation. Some may in fact argue, that this is fantastical, regard being had to how far apart the men presently are. But I guess, he really needs it. The former President, even in his private life, has proved to be capable of inflicting him, and his limping government, grave psychological torture. Three years on, His Excellency has not enjoyed his tenure in office. He started a fight, he was ill prepared for. The suggestion of the peaceful, dreamless, drooling sleep made in his recent address, masks a sad reality. Our President is not at peace, and will know no peace, until he stops listening to all who lie to him and sues for it, in good faith.