What do Masimolole and Batshu bring to Cabinet?

| Friday February 4, 2011 00:00

 

The fellow MP was none other than his former party mate, Gilbert Mangole, of the Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD) who was making a remark while Masimolole was holding the floor.

'Heela mosimane, heela, ke tlaa go...' Hey, you boy, I will...'. These are the words of Member of Parliament for Mogoditshane, Patrick Masimolole, during the November 2010 Parliament meeting as he threatened a fellow MP for interrupting his contribution.

The fellow MP was none other than his former party mate, Gilbert Mangole, of the Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD) who was making a remark while Masimolole was holding the floor.

The threat caught the speaker's attention and she called the MP to order and to desist from referring to fellow MPs as boys.

Whether Masimolole was saying this in good faith or otherwise is not clear. Only he knows. But allegations by those who have had a chance to work closely with him, and the character that he often displays in Parliament, especially when the subject under discussion is not his favourite, could be an indication that when he has run out of ideas he would not hesitate to employ boxing skills as a last resort.

The MP is very skilful in the art of changing colours, as demonstrated by the manner in which he handled the Media Practitioners Bill of 2008, that was later signed into law the same year.

The bill, which attracted criticism from opposition parties and Non Governmental Organisations, simultaneously sparked emotions in the House as it was deemed unconstitutional and a government ploy to stifle freedom of expression.

For over three weeks, during November-December 2008, MPs engaged in heated debates over the bill across the political divide. Some ruling party MPs conceded that the bill was unconstitutional as it was then, but nonetheless, on December 9, 2008, Masimolole called a halt to debates, calling for a vote. 

The BDP majority in the House endorsed the bill in its form and it was passed for the third reading and subsequently signed into law. The law is now before the High Court, after the media challenged its constitutionality.

A year later, after endorsing an unconstitutional law, when contributing to the State of the Nation Address, Masimolole called on government to introduce a Freedom of Information Act to allow free flow of information, which he believed would hold public officers accountable.

At some point he branded some BDP MPs bootlickers accusing them of failing to interrogate some decisions made by the executive.

Masimolole said then that there are some MPs who think they love and respect President Ian Khama to the point that they will never question or oppose his decisions.

He said parliamentarians have the responsibility to serve the people and not to be sycophants of the president.

'He is my president and I love and respect him. But we all have to critic whatever he says, not just to rubber stamp his decisions,' Masimolole was quoted as saying in the local media.

He also called for amendment of the Constitution, even vowing that, 'when that motion is tabled in Parliament, no one is going to stop me from debating it'. The reports indicate that Masimolole went as far as even cautioning those in authority that power does not last forever. He has also lambasted government's failure to address unemployment and empowerment of Batswana.

In November 2010, Masimolole changed his colours; he said that there was no need to hurry over the Constitutional amendment, defending the government stance that the amendments could only be done where necessary. The call for caution on constitutional matters came four months after Masimolole had defected to join BDP's archrival BMD only to retrace his steps back to the BDP.

He would say in the November meeting that he does not regret going back to the BDP.

Taking over from Mokgweetsi Masisi, and having been at the forefront of government criticism for failing to economically empower Batswana, Masimolole is likely to be given the mandate of driving the government poverty eradication programme.

With more powers and no guarantees that such power will be prolonged, Masimolole should consider, as a matter of urgency, drafting a bill that will send immigrant labourers home to create employment opportunities for young Batswana in the P10bn worth of projects currently in the hands of foreign contractors.

The man is in his second term as MP for Mogoditshane. 

As for acting Minister of Defence Justice and Security, Edwin Batshu, the man still needs to prove what he stands for as a politician and not the Commissioner of Botswana Police.

He still needs time, three to four years to transform into a civilian. He served for 37 years, from the lowest rank, going upwards until he was appointed commissioner in 2004.

He retired in June 2007, but then, he said he was retreating to his home village of Maitengwe where he was going to lead a Christian life. He said he was not interested in politics.

During his days as police commissioner, Batshu complained that the courts were reversing police efforts to fight crime by granting bail to suspects awaiting trial.

Then, he lamented that magistrates and High Court judges indiscriminately granted such bail even to habitual offenders, making the fight against crime a vicious cycle, as the police were often chasing the same people. 

Like his predecessor, Ndelu Seretse, Batshu is a devout Christian and reportedly told a gathering in Francistown, in 2009, that only the 10 Commandments can help fight crime that is rapidly increasing in the country.

At the height of accusations that government established the Directorate of Intelligence and Security (DIS) in haste to eavesdrop on private lives of citizens and opposition MPs, Batshu told a press conference that the organisation was the brainchild of the Botswana Police Service.

Batshu is not a very eloquent speaker and sometimes is unable to put forward a very important point when he is holding the floor.

His parliamentary questions and motions have not been convincing so far. The only motion he successfully tabled, though it will make no impact on the lives of Batswana, was about the transformation of Southern African Development Community Parliamentary Forum (SADC PF) into a fully-fledged SADC parliament.

On November 14, 2010, Batshu asked the Minister of Local Government to state the number of vehicles previously used by the Botswana Local Police that were transferred to the Botswana Police Service upon the merging of the two police services; if none, why and when will this be done.

He was not satisfied with the answer given by the minister and now the opportunity to find out the truth has presented itself. In general, Batshu is a humble man who only needs time.