Often, the youth who ordinarily participate in this event are usually torn between the various June 16 events organised along sectarian political interests. Some youth may have lost interest in June 16 activities because of the polarity that exists between the various political groupings in the country who unfortunately allow political differences get in the way of an event that directs itself at the immediate interests of the youth. Due to political differences and bad planning, June 16 activities have largely been badly-planned or were left to be run by government officials to the exclusion of the owners of the event who would have been busy playing a divisive political game. The move by three youth organisations is a good start and it should not be regarded as an end in itself. The youth of this country are not only found in the three parties. There are others in the BDP, MELS, Boy Scouts, Young People's Convention and many other formations. The idea should be to woo these youth in their various organisations into the commemoration. It would be a misnomer for anyone to say that June 16 activities should not be politicised because the event itself is one big political activity. The least we can do is to appeal to all youth organisations to come forward and take ownership of the event going forward. If all the youth in the country could come together they could use this event to take stock of their many myriad problems. This year it has been particularly bad for the youth. Many will not get government sponsorship at tertiary institutions and this cannot just be left to politicians to resolve. The youth as a group will need to share notes and agitate for their interest as a group. June 16 might just prove to be the forum for the youth. On another note, we can all heave a collective sigh of relief that the court has been very magnanimous in deciding not to send Bakgatla Kgosikgolo to jail. No one would have wanted to see the Paramount Chief go to jail. Not that he is above the law or he should be treated with kid-gloves, but for the simple reason that Batswana revere the bogosi institution so much that it is sacred. The chief, as the arrowhead of this institution should be insulated from anything that could demean the institution. We hope that lessons have been learnt from the courts' findings. It would have been sad if the court visited terror on the mophato without affording them a hearing. The lesson is very clear. Due process is more civilised and we hope all of us can integrate that into our systems.
Today's thought
