Mogwe condemns automatic succession

EPHRAIM KEORENG
Staff Writer | Tuesday September 21, 2010 00:00

 

Speaking at a seminar on democracy and Botswana's electoral system in Gaborone on Friday, Mogwe stated that automatic succession frustrates the interests of hardworking MPs who want to contest the presidency when there is a vacancy.

'They have to watch for 10 years as two people-president and vice-president enjoying these powerful positions, knowing that the next 10 years will be taken by the vice-president as he assumes the presidency,' he said.

The former Foreign Affairs Minister said when Botswana's first president, Sir Seretse Khama died, it was not known who would succeed him.

'I was one of the people mentioned amongst possible candidates to rise to the presidency.

But we decided in Parliament that Ketumile Masire must be president until elections.

After the elections, we had him as president again. It was not decided who would succeed Seretse before he died,' Mogwe said.

Another speaker at the seminar Dithapelo Keorapetse from the University of Botswana (UB) said Batswana should be allowed to choose their own president.

The UB political lecturer said he has noticed that in Botswana and the rest of Africa, a president chooses his preferred vice-president and heir so that the successor can protect his legacy.

'They want to have an influence on who becomes their successor,' he said. Keorapetse stated that there is a problem of internal party democracy in political parties in Africa.

He said Botswana has a powerful president with sweeping powers that enable him to single-handedly appoint people to oversight bodies like the Ombudsman and the Directorate on Corruption and Economic Crime (DCEC).

'He must enjoy legitimacy by being voted into power by people as being president allows him leeway to decide who becomes his successor. You know Festus Mogae once said if MPs dared not support his VP candidate, he would dissolve Parliament, and he had the powers to do so,' he said.

The UB lecturer called for the abolishment of automatic succession and the decentralisation of power from the Office of the President.

He said the president should be impeachable, especially for serious crimes committed while in office.

The ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) representative at the seminar, Segaetsho Garekwe said automatic succession is not unique to Botswana or governments.

He said it takes place in organisations and companies where a sitting leader vacates an office and is replaced by his second-in-command.

He said the system fosters stability and in Botswana, it averts intense political infighting found in some African countries.

'We had an election of party president last year at our congress in Kanye.

President Ian Khama was unopposed, but still it was an election. Dumelang Saleshando of Botswana Congress Party (BCP) was also unopposed at his party elections this year,' he said.