Khama's continued use of state aircraft riles rivals

LEKOPANYE MOOKETSI
Correspondent | Thursday March 15, 2007 00:00

 

On the eve of the elections, Vice President Ian Khama addressed rallies in the two villages on the same day.  To cover the two villages, which are almost 500km apart, Khama had to fly.  He addressed the Mathangwane rally in the morning and appeared in Hatsalatladi in the afternoon.

Khama was flown by a Botswana Defence Fence (BDF)  aircraft to Francistown from where he later drove to Mathangwane, a few kilometres away along Maun road.  After addressing the Mathangwane rally, the VP later boarded the same aircraft for Hatsalatladi.

Khama has become the BDP kingpin and the party is always using him to attract votes. 
When he is on party business, Khama is also accompanied by civil servants, including his bodyguards. Normally, he would be accompanied by his private secretary, Isaac Kgosi, thereby raising eyebrows whether the Vice President is not using civil servants to prop up his party functions.

Just before the Mathangwane by-elections, the Village Chief, Itekeng Mathangwane vowed that as a civil servant, he would not meet with Khama when he addressed a BDP political rally.  Mathangwane said he could only welcome Khama at the kgotla and not at a freedom square.

Botswana Congress Party (BCP) publicity secretary, Dumelang Saleshando, said they have always maintained that the BDP abuses public resources.  'This is what we call unfair competition,' he said.

Saleshando said when it comes to party activities, the BDP should use its own resources. 

He said if the BDP insisted on using state resources, then government should devise a formula to assist other parties as well. 

The BCP spokesman said 'opposition parties have always been crying that the playing field is not levells'.

He said Khama's continued flying of BDF aircraft contravenes the Ombudsman's recommendations.  He said the VP is disregarding democratic and good governance principles with President Festus Mogae's blessings.

In the past, BCP lodged a complaint with the Ombudsman about Khama's continued piloting of BDF aircrafts.  The Ombudsman ruled that Khama should stop the practice but President Mogae over ruled this decision.  He said he was the one who had given Khama the go ahead to fly BDF aeroplanes. 

Saleshando said it appears that the Vice President is failing to make a difference between the Khama assets and state assets.  He added that when Khama occupies the State House next year, he would not be aware of this difference.

Saleshando feels there is a need for the government to start funding political parties.  He argues that the BDP is rejecting this idea not out of principle so that the party could continue monopolising the use of government resources.  The BDP, he said, is indirectly funded by public funds.

'They want to frustrate their political opponents,' he said.

However, BDP deputy Executive Secretary Fidelis Molao dismisses the issue as a non-starter. The BDP official insisted that it was customary that the President and his deputy were both entitled to official transport even when they were not on duty. As a result, he said, nothing would change, as the President and Vice President would continue to use official transport whenever they travel. 

'I do not see anything wrong with this arrangement,' he said.  He said when the opposition parties take over, their president and vice president would also be entitled to official transport.

'I don't see the reason why they (opposition parties) should be crying,' he said.