Apparently, the President referred to someone in his entourage as a Mokwerekwere, a derogatory word used to refer to non-Botswana. Some caller(s) in the Gabz FM morning programme on Friday, allegedly reacted to the 'slur' by branding Khama a lekutwane (person of mixed race or colour). Then reports say BDP operatives went to work and intimidated the station well enough to extract an apology. If true, reports of the threats are simply a clear demonstration of how some overzealous and irresponsible opportunists have hijacked the ruling party to the extent that, they seem to be in charge of this country. They have turned the party into an intolerant club. No wonder, the BDP split for the first time last year and is still losing prominent members to other parties. Even if it was a joke, it was wrong for Khama to refer to another person in public as a Mokwerekwere when he knew that the word is derogatory. The President must know that he is not an ordinary person who can use any word to refer to other people, even if he has no intention of hurting the subject.
The gang that has hijacked the BDP should have taken their time to go and engage Khama to be careful on what words he should use in public before blackmailing Gabz FM. We still remember a recent incident in which Speaker of the National Assembly, Margaret Nasha reprimanded Khama's younger brother - Tshekedi - for using the word Makwerekwere in Parliament. We also remember that three South Africans were arrested at Ramatlabama Border gate for saying - perhaps in jest - that President Khama looks like a Mosarwa - a fair comparison to another human being. We take this opportunity to remind President Khama that the people who have hijacked the ruling party, pose a great danger to the democracy of this country. Knowing our President, he probably was joking when he referred to that officer as Mokwerekwere. But when a joke backfires, the joker should bite the bullet and apologise. Even before the ramifications of a bad joke can sink in properly, we hear reports that some gung-ho BDP hacks have brow-beaten a media body to apologise for a counter-reaction to the joke. It was wrong for the 'BDP pirates' to force Gabz FM to apologise when the correct route was to engage the President and advise him on what words he can use and when in public fora. To President Khama we say: be careful of the people proclaiming to love you, for, they are just using you for personal gain. By the time you leave office, they will go and look for a new cash cow and you will long for the day when you could be afforded a chance to publicly differ with whoever will be in power then.
