Civic society slammed for lethargy
Innocent Selatlhwa | Thursday October 19, 2017 16:30
Speaking at a conference on democracy and constitutional reforms organised by the Botswana Federation of Public Sector Unions (BOFEPUSU) on Tuesday, Mogalakwe said a vibrant civic society was the only way democracy could be enhanced.
“Botswana is not democratic. Our democracy has no substance and we need civic society to step in and make people account. We can’t just define democracy by voting for people and then nothing happens in between the five years people are in office,” he said.
Mogalakwe said the current situation where “things are imposed on Batswana without their involvement” should not be tolerated and civic society must fight for the inclusion of citizens in dialogues affecting their lives.
“In 2014 BOFEPUSU had a hit-list of those they wanted to vote out of elected office.
“It was a good example of a civic society calling for the shunning of people they view as enemies to the workers, but some viewed it as political.
“There is nothing wrong with aligning with a party they see fit to represent their interests and that can change when other parties offer their members better,” he said.
Mogalakwe also called on the civic society to rally behind the Botswana Congress Party’s (BCP) case against the Electronic Voting Machine. Mogalakwe said it was disappointing that the BCP was struggling with resources for the case while it had been proven in kgotla meetings that Batswana were against the machines.
On the issue of the constitution, Mogalakwe said Batswana never discussed the constitution before it was adopted and there was a need to consult them on its possible review.
“The President has too many powers and we sometimes blame him for that, when it is imperative that the civic society speaks out about a review to normalise the situation.
“We also need to act on these as well as others, such as introducing mother tongue learning. Trade unions should team up with other institutions and draw an agenda. Blame games should stop now,” he said.
The conference attracted various speakers, who stressed that there was a need for civic society to be more active in advocating for democracy. BOFEPUSU acting secretary general, Ketlhalefile Motshegwa expressed disappointment that only four Members of Parliament showed up when the Federation had invited them in order for legislators to take the issues to Parliament.