Don't demonise Vice President

| Thursday March 11, 2010 00:00

This commentary demonized our ruling Botswana Democratic Party, His Honour the Vice President Lieutenant General Mompati Merafhe and looked down upon Minister Lesego Motsumi's capabilities and proposed tabling of a motion on the subject.

It disrespectfully accuses our good party of playing cheap mind games on the Declaration of Assets and Liabilities bill that was tabled by BCP's right Honourable MP, Dumelang Saleshando, and it says we want to 'hijack' the bill and make it ours. It also outright questions the Vice President's person and not his point of view as it should be.

Let me set the record straight for all those who may have read the manifestly malicious commentary. The Botswana Democratic Party and the Vice President support the tabling of this bill 100 percent in principle. To this end Presidential Affairs Minister Lesego Motsumi will come up with a similar or even better motion, so we strongly believe.

The BDP has it on good account that Minister Motsumi's bill will formulate a more inclusive and comprehensive law than that proposed by Honourable Saleshando as she has more access and expertise from government and from the party to assist her in the drafting of the motion.

The media is at times quick to claim that the BDP is corrupt and without integrity. This is far from the true nature of things. We have stiff laws in place that govern occurrences that may border on corruption that have been commended even by the international community and which we sadly never get credit for from certain sections of the media.

We want scrutiny, and we welcome criticism, but it ought not to be selectively biased. We embrace the advocacy role that a newspaper can adopt on certain issues especially through their opinion pages, but such a role need be grounded on principles consistent with a self-regulating media house in a democracy intent on fostering true and nation-building debate.

All the BDP is urging is a little patience with this bill as we too feel it is overdue and that we be given the respect we deserve. After all, this is not a bill for BDP members, but also for those in opposition and as well, if indeed corruption is so rampant, we ought to desist from the common perception and fallacy that it is perpetrated by BDP members because it is not.

- Wabone KalaneBotswana Democratic Party

EDITOR'S NOTE - We maintain that the executive should allow Saleshando to move his bill and not indulge in cheap political pointscoring. Motsumi and the executive in general have had ample to table a similar motion and have not done so.

We question their motives when they suddenly find inspiration to do so at the time when a member of the opposition is engaged in doing the same.

It does not make sense from a purely efficiency point of view to pull back a bill under the argument that it would be brought again. It is here now, do it now. Any concerns the minister and the rest of the cabinet may have about the envisaged bill can be addressed at drafting stages and be passed by parliament if it so wishes. Secondly we doubt the BDP's sincerity because in many instances prominent members of the party have shown an unwillingness to embrace not just this bill but general openness and transparency.

Lastly the BDP-led Parliament has abdicated its responsibility to draft laws by favouring the executive to do so, at a time when even the president has argued for a much more efficient parliament. It simply does not make sense why the BDP would oppose Saleshando excerpt for narrow political considerations and that is not what the August House should be about.