Are we buying toys or war Jets?

Owen Nsala | Wednesday June 21, 2017 18:12

Having left station there has been so much talk on the streets and by various commentators as to the worth of acquiring weapons of war as opposed to dealing with social atrocities existing within Botswana.

This then calls for one to make introspection into government’s commitment towards our human rights as a country vis  a vis security of the republic. I must concede from the onset that a delicate exercise must be done on this issue and to take it at face value may derogate from the hidden and unknown world of espionage.

That being said I am more inclined to assume a human rights postulation to the detriment of security more so that I am not a student of the armed forces and I am more relevant in a discourse of human rights. To that end accept my shortcomings in my endeavour to make a proper discourse.

It must be accepted that the region that we are in, being the SADC region is by international standards and mere human eye watch a peaceful region. We are not surrounded by neighbors at war with themselves or their citizens. Conversations of genocides, Islamic extremists and civil wars within the region are rarely heard off and in the few times that Lesotho has tried to brew a civil war storm there has been sufficient deterrence from the region to quell any such.

Be that as it may, those in the world of espionage and the barracks will always share the hidden, dark and unknown forces that surround our borders.

To the man on the street, the ordinary reasonable man in Botswana it is hard  to see any threats to the republic which those in the intelligence world allude to. President Khama talks of guarding our skies and borders from the unseen forces. One would suppose that those allegations are motivated by reports of intelligence received from those tasked with the sourcing and analysis of such information.

It is unfortunate though that our country is shrouded in secrecy and although I do not attempt to suggest that issues of intelligence must be publicized, there must at least exist bodies that are tasked with making a determination on our intelligence needs and those bodies must found accountability to parliament and demonstrate to our legislators that there exists a need to spend as much as we are currently doing.

There is a perception, based on fear, whether real or otherwise (I say it is immaterial), to the extent that the President is building a military empire for political gain rather than security gain.

That fear can only be eliminated by having institutions that would parade and take to task anyone who proposes that we must acquire such top end war machines.

The ordinary folk at home is always quick to ask, whom are we fighting? Are we preparing for war? Against who? Is it a civil war ammunition or otherwise? Your guess is as good as mine, I do not know either.

Back at home President Khama has left a country whose population is starving. The people are unemployed. Some are homeless and some leave under dire social economic circumstances.

 There was talk at one point to save money by having the ministry of health refusing to assist patients of self inflicted injuries or diseases. Were we to save money to buy weapons of war? Where do our priorities as a nation lie? Is it with the enjoyments of a dignified life or a celebrated military junta in the form of North Korea?

Our leaders must get their priorities towards the people right.

It is wrong to spend that much money on fighter jets whilst the people are wallowing in abject poverty. It is wrong to spend that much when our youth remain unemployed and live lives without a semblance of dignity. Our people are resorting to uncultured malpractices such as drug selling and prostitution to make a living. Where is their dignity that the Constitution so clearly enshrines?

Our situation is not helped by the fact that the government of the day refuses to ratify international human rights conventions and statutes which recognize second generation rights as constitutional  human rights. These rights include the right to water, the right to education, workers rights, the right to land and other surrounding rights.

Courts are forced, depending on the mood of the sitting bench to read these rights into the existing Constitutional rights and mark infringements. It is not surprising to find Basarwa being denied their ancestral land or water because those rights are not enshrined in the Constitution. Until then, attempting to enforce such second generation rights remains a hollow pipe dream. In closure I therefore see it necessary to attain a delicate balance in terms of security and providing for the nation and its citizens.  The ordinary street vendor will never understand when the leaders mention budgetary constraints and turn around to spend P14 billion pulas on war toys to which there is no guarantee that we will ever put to use. At the same time deterrence is a form of military defence. It is a catch 22. However let there be a justifiable basis.