That is why it may be easy to dismiss the rant from Gaborone West North MP, Robert Masitara that state TV channel, Btv is deliberately ignoring his philanthropic activities. The politician is known for his love of the limelight, a Narcissus attitude that could be used to dismiss his claims. But then, Masitara is not just another MP.
He comes from the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) which has been repeatedly accused by detractors of using Btv to do its bidding. Conventional wisdom has it that in general, ruling party bigwigs, ministers and MPs included, hog the limelight on Btv at the expense of the opposition. This means that Masitara should not encounter much difficulty in getting Btv to cover his events. However, the MP says the powers that be have instructed Btv to give him a blackout. We cannot pretend to know what is going on here, but Masitara's lamentations raise a number of pertinent issues that we cannot fail to point out. The MP should be careful not to give the impression that he wants to use his charity work to grab more attention. He should press ahead with his good deeds without paying too much attention on who is watching. Satisfaction should come from knowing that he has changed lives, and not that his actions have not made the headlines. Besides, parading the poor and the helpless for TV cameras is not always such a good idea, hence the MP should be more accommodating on this one. Of course, it is a different matter if - as he claims - Btv has been ordered to eschew him. The station has been accused of focusing too much on the presidency, which could mean that Masitara is simply a victim of 'competing interests' because President Ian Khama is already hogging the limelight with own his works of charity.
