He told the magistrate, Joy Brown, yesterday that he wants the court to assist him in his defence against charges of escaping from lawful custody with 14 of his subjects because the constitution is oppressive.
He demanded three things: the file that contains talks, which gave rise to the Constitution of Botswana; Hansards of the Legislative Council (transitional parliament from Bechuanaland to Botswana) between January 1965 and December 1966; and a file on consultation on constitutional drafting. He said the documents are supposed to be kept in a safe place at the Department of Archives and National Records. He said the Hansards he wants contain crucial information on how the Botswana state was created. He said that the documents would assist his defence based on the claim that the Constitution of Botswana is flawed and oppressive. "This constitution oppresses me and other people, yet it purports to be an agreement of the people of Botswana. It is not," he said.
