BDF commander missed the point :: Mmegi Online

On Tuesday, the commander of the Botswana Defence Force, Lt-Gen Gaolathe Galebotswe appeared before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) to explain military expenditure, challenges and achievements during the 2013-2014 financial year. Before the proceedings, the commander joked about why he was wearing camouflage – that he is hands-on.

However, the commander missed the point in his response to a question from members of the committee who wanted him to explain why the BDF has been silent about media reports that the army top brass is not united.

The commander stated that there is no disunity and everything is fine in the military. “We cannot waste our time responding to media reports when we should be focusing on our core business of defending the nation,” he told the committee. We want to put it to the commander that this is an unfortunate stance he has adopted. First, the army Public Relations Office has a bad reputation of ignoring media inquiries or giving shoddy answers.

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