Two Possibilities Of Botswana Politics

| Monday July 26, 2010 00:00

I am excited by both. I do not turn myself into a mascot during the Zebras' games but I have committed to attend all home-based matches. In fact should they qualify for AFCON I suspect I will be one of the travellers. I too add to the gnash of teeth when Dipsy Selolwane hits the outside post and explode in elation when he hits the inside net. I hear they are just two wins away and they will be home and dry. That is exciting, isn't it?

Another thing: Fresh from their elective congresses, the Botswana National Front and Botswana Congress Party rhyme a common sonnet. In fact they do not have choice but to answer the people's crave for change. In case they think they can toy around with people's emotions this time around, Botswana Movement for Democracy is around to fill the space. I share the nation's anticipation and do believe politics will never be the same again in this country.  I risk being labelled a political activist as it is usually the case; but who is not? Who said politics are the preserve of certain clowns and not all of us?. We, too, can be clowns, you know. Of course some are more clowns than others.

But wait! The Zebras! Has anyone ever thought how the recent successful run of the Zebras could impact on politics? Has anyone ever thought the people's desire for change could be spoiled by their desire to conquer the football fraternity?

Think of it this way: We all want the Zebras to succeed and succeed they will. They will reach AFCON 2012 and possibly 2013 and remotely Brazil 2014. Did I just say 2014? Isn't that the year BDP is supposed to lose elections or be seriously mutilated?  This cannot happen if the opposition parties are not party to the Zebras' success.  From now onwards, the nation's emotions would be divided between football and politics and the latter is often the loser in such cases. Football is a selfish lover. The euphoria that will grip this country as soon as the Zebras beat Malawi next month will render everything useless and I tell you the nation will walk in tandem. Like national disasters, football has that ability to steal sanity from the people. Think of 9/11 and how George Bush returned to power. Think of the recent SA World Cup and share with me at least one current affair issue that you followed during that time. Did you know that Jackie Selebi was convicted? Did you know about the fridge that cost almost P50,000 and what hole it created in your national budget? Just a small quiz: where did DIS get its initial funding? Who authorised that? You see a lot of us may have missed these revelations from the press during the World Cup. That is how football is. It does not entertain divided loyalty. We agree to be communal in insanity.

A master populist that he is, President Ian Khama is likely to revert his attention to the sport. I would not be surprised if the constituency league is scrapped and its fortunes diverted to Stan Tshosane and his boys. In fact, I would love that and so is the rest of the nation. What that means is we will not only love that, we will love the man himself and we will continue so as long as 2014 beckons and the Zebras start on their Brazil-bound trip while we go to the polling stations. How then can the opposition identify with football, in particular, the Zebras? There are individuals among the opposition leadership who are publicly known as sport personalities and paros (diparo). BMD is aplenty with such if one could think of the likes of Gomolemo Motswaledi and Phillip Makgalemele just to mention two, not to mention Botsalo Ntuane who is an avid sports traveller. This is part of the flavour that connects the gentlemen with the young and the hopeful.

Except for occasional congratulatory messages from the BNFYL, I am not aware of other staunch followers of football among the other opposition leadership. This must change, especially now. The stakes are high and we cannot let the sport we love so blindly spoil the only opportunity we have to cut short BDP's arrogance. This is a difficult option because on the other side there is someone with state resources; someone who is able to donate other people's property as if they are his.

The other option is for the opposition to make whatever they want to do before 2012. I am serious. As demonstrated above, beyond 2012 things are going to be very complex and complicated. Once again we look towards BMD for salvation.

Some of us are not particularly its voters but with the current language of; one opposition, one party, it no longer matters what acronym you carry. If BMD is serious about its 25 potential members within BDP, perhaps it is between now and 2012 that they must jump. Their staggering strategy is working brilliantly but it must give us change before 2012. Change here could mean the ultimate one or at least a respectable presence of the opposition in Parliament. I have said it in the past and I am saying it now; I am not in favour of a one party dominance; kill me if you like. We have witnessed how disastrous this could be with the ascendancy of President Khama. The potential that this country had in being the most free in Africa, let alone in the world, have suddenly vanished. Simple civil liberties such as freedom to enjoy oneself have eloped with others such as freedom of thought. Parliament has never been this crazy.

Undemocratic laws and regulations have been forced down Batswana's throats as the ruling party MPs could not think independently. Batswana have invested all their hopes on the opposition parties. The popular vote of the opposition continues to show that BDP has lost support. It showed after 2009 elections that the BDP was bound to collapse sooner or later. Even the split is partly due to the realisation that the party was no longer sellable and President Khama simply catalysed the process. It is now important that the opposition work smart; they need to follow current trends such as the performance of the national football team otherwise the success of the national team could be a threat to political change.  Thapelo Ndlovu (writing on his own capacity)