Halted dissolution a populist stunt - UB don
Ryder Gabathuse | Friday October 12, 2018 13:35
“This is a shock to everyone who has been listening to the unfolding factionalism bedevilling the ruling part,y which manifests itself in government functioning and performance,” said University of Botswana (UB) lecturer in political and administrative studies, Adam Mfundisi.
The academic noted that the minister had boasted that the so-called councillors serve at her pleasure and therefore she had ultimate authority over them.
“Now, if she has somersaulted on her initial decision and processes, then her integrity should be in the mud. I suggest she was advised by the legal minds that her decision may be nullified in a court of law possibly that she had not given each councillor the right to be heard,” analysed Mfundisi.
“Politics of patronage is at play here, where people are rewarded with political positions based on political affiliations rather than patronage,” said Mfundisi.
He wondered: “Why should a local government body draw people who are from far places, who have no knowledge of the needs, interests and aspirations of the local people?”
Mfundisi noted that decentralisation in Botswana, in this context, is a myth rather than a reality, where a minister appoints party functionaries to state institutions to further partisan politics. This has come to haunt the ruling party, which is currently fractured.
Mmegi has this week been informed that the council dissolution matter has been handed over to the Attorney General’s (AG’s) Chambers to further deal with the case.
Local Government and Rural Development ministry spokesperson, Masego Ramakgati told Mmegi this week that the AG’s has now taken over the matter.
Why the AG’s chambers?
Mfundisi quipped: “The AG’s Chambers provide legal advice to State institutions. That’s why I indicated above that the minister was overzealous in pronouncing punitive actions before seeking legal opinion from government lawyers. She thought that the issue was a BDP (Botswana Democratic Party) internal matter, forgetting that Sowa Township Act was promulgated by Parliament, an organ of government albeit different from the ruling party”.
He observed that, “the minister was a disgrace in announcing that the BDP will determine the composition of a future Sowa Township political operators”.
Mfundisi said there is a need to reform the Local Government Administration to democratise it in order to have local people determining their own representatives.
He also insisted that the BDP should not parachute people from outside the Nata- Gweta constituency to hold positions in the township. And furthermore, people must elect their own preferred councillors through a democratic process.
By halting the dissolution process, does that provide any remedy to the Sowa problem in both short and long terms?
“No, it’s a populist stunt devoid of rationality. The problem of Sowa Township is deep-rooted in our political culture of lack of accountability and responsibility in the management of public affairs,” said Mfundisi.
As a solution, he suggested that a thorough reformation of the Local Government Administration is required to proactively deal with problems of this kind.
He added that local representatives elected through a fair and free electoral process should man local councils. And councillors so elected must be accountable to the electorate not minister representing government.
From Mfundisi’s analysis of things, what does he think is the main source of problems at the Sowa Township Authority?
The main problem, the UB academic said is the undemocratic nature of political appointees who are not answerable to the local people, but to the party and the minister responsible for Local Government Authorities.
Another point worth mentioning, he said, is the factionalism within the BDP manifesting itself in different forms including afflicting local bodies.
“Furthermore, public institutions should be insulated from political interference to further narrow political objectives. Sowa Township has been used as a conduit for political employment of BDP activists, some of whom have no knowledge of local governance issues,” he concluded.
Another UB academic and political science lecturer, Leonard Sesa did not remember having any decision of this nature being taken.
Now, for Venson-Moitoi to have come up with a decision of this nature could put her into trouble, or whoever is in charge of the parent ministry, Sesa warned.
He wondered how often the minister responsible for the local authorities do routine checks on them.
“What mechanisms have been put in place to assess and evaluate the councils? There could be a lot of rot in some local authorities and the minister should check regularly,” he further wondered.
Sesa felt strongly that it is high time that somebody should be responsible enough to do the evaluations.
In a way, Sesa observed that by halting the dissolution of the council, the BDP-led government is trying to cover its track.
He described the situation at Sowa as a sympathy vote created for the BDP losers and the councillors have not been accounting to anyone. They tended to be more flexible and reluctant unlike their elected counterparts.
Attorney General, Abraham Keetshabe this week vehemently denied knowledge of the Sowa council dissolution matter.
“We don’t know anything about the dissolution matter. What we have been advised is to provide legal counsel relating to a matter that is before the courts whereupon we have to apply to the courts to represent the council,” explained Keetshabe.
He further explained that this is a case that has been there for sometime, and they are now looking for the case file and information as the whole idea is to get the relevant information and take it from there.