Somebody tell these leaders to sit down

I have been debating with some friends, what principal residence should be. One of the most preposterous suggestions I have heard, coming from their mortgaged lips, has been that the individual must be asked what their principal residence is and that their word must be final of the subject. Such an absurdity would provide a blank cheque for mass voter trafficking, the very reason why the requirement of “principal residence” was enacted in the first place.

It makes no sense, according to me, to insist that you should swamp up a voter’s roll for a particular locality with non-resident voters. That would in fact, disenfranchise the local population and render their vote meaningless.  Indeed there may be reason to revisit the definition but there must be a modicum of control. It may well be that the choice should be widened to at least two primary residences, or that we should move to a hybrid system as some have suggested. For some people, it is really a close call, where their primary residence is. I have great sympathy with members of parliament and soldiers, for example, who might live and work away from their constituencies. I think there is jurisprudential merit for their exclusion albeit on a case by case basis. All said and done though, it is somewhat surprising how people suddenly, for reasons of political convenience, pretend to be confused where they really stay. I do not think that there is honestly, any individual who is unaware of their primary residence. What we are seeing is hypocrisy and dishonesty playing out at a grand scale by both party leaders and sycophantic followers.

Whichever way you look at it, the issue has suddenly become the most important subject in public discourse, alongside presidential security. Attention has been diverted from electoral, bread and butter issues to saving party leaders from the sword of Damocles and from personal indiscretions. The political space is extremely stuffy. This year’s election seems to be less about Batswana and more about political leaders and their survival. On one side the opposition believe that the president is a cry baby, and that alleged threats to his life belong in the same library section as the adventures of Tom Sawyer and of Huckleberry Finn. Forget that they have no evidence to disprove the assertions. All is fair, in love and in war.

Editor's Comment
Congratulations Anicia Gaothuse!

The contest had 10 beautiful young girls as finalists and unfortunately only one could wear the crown.The judges picked Anicia Gaothuse. To all those who feel their contestant should have won ahead of Anicia for whatever reason, hardly; the judges found Anicia to be the best among the best, so desist from disrespecting our newly crowned queen on social media or anywhere else, for that matter! Each of the 10 beautiful young women had supporters...

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