The Botswana Labour Party noted with extreme disappointment the Constitutional Amendment Bill that the Minister of State President Mr Kabo Morwaeng presented before parliament before it failed as it did not garner the much needed votes. 

It is a bill that comes with 20 clauses, buried among which is clause 2. (g) which reads: “The object of the Bill is to amend the Constitution of the Republic of Botswana following the approval by Government of the Recommendations of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into the Review of the Constitution of Botswana as agreed to and varied by Government Paper No. 1 of 2023. To this end — (g) Clause 11 of the Bill incorporates, in section 58 (2), the changes agreed to (with variation) under Recommendation 26 to increase the number of Specially Elected Members of the National Assembly from 6 to 10”. Here we once again see another shameless attempt by the presidency of this country to usurp yet another tranche of powers to itself, totally disregarding calls by reformists across the political spectrum for presidential powers to be rationalised in a way that balances power equitably among the three arms of government. We are here witnessing a flagrant display of an insatiable lust for power and singularity by the Masisi administration.

We see yet another instance of selfish planning whereby the presidency wants to increase its hand as the ‘doler-in-chief’ of largesse, adding to other purposeless appointments like that of the so-called Chief of Staff. Mr Masisi needs to be cautioned to stop playing with state machinery with the excitement akin to that of a child with a new toy. What do we need ten specially elected MPs for? Just because Masisi fancies himself as winning his second term and appointing some sycophantic acolytes to those posts. By way of antidemocratic tendencies like dilution of the potency of parliament by almost doubling specially elected MPs, indeed we are witnessing the incremental ZANUfication of the BDP. Other aspects of this ZANUfication have already manifested themselves before the eyes of those willing to see reality: draconian laws against journalists; strict voting-as-a-block on every single motion by BDP MPs; defamation of opponents through some faceless intelligence entities; the maintenance of a coterie of bull-terrier MPs whose sole claim to relevance is to ridicule any initiative presented by opposition MPs or to disrupt opponents’ speeches with claims that procedure is not being followed or that the stature of the president is being disparaged. 

We also note the wanton subversion of public opinion by the 2022 Presidential Commission of Inquiry into the Review of Constitution of Botswana. In no single public consultation forum did even a single speaker call for an increase of Specially Elected MPs, but the commission deceitfully manufactured that sentiment totally out of nowhere claiming it is what we the public are calling for; and now the presidency conveniently invokes it as the basis upon which it acts to implement the change. This is what happens when rulers reach the level of total bereftness of compunction: a lie is being used to prop another lie for the purpose of a third lie. We also note and observe that the bill is being sneaked in at the tail-end of the winter session of parliament to minimise the amount of scrutiny on it and to deliberately limit debate on it. We also see right through the scheme of camouflaging major points like this one with other clauses that sound noble so that whoever raises a concern gets castigated as being against those other clauses that the government will claim it is altruistically championing. We call upon the entire political fraternity, MPs across the political divide, civil society organisations, ordinary citizens, the press and everyone else to join the BLP in standing against this selfish and narcissistic amendment. We stand in solidarity with other political parties and the civic society fraternity in condemning the BDP’s reckless gambles on the constitution and join calls for mass action on Thursday the 4th and Friday the 5th of September, starting with night vigil on Wednesday the 3rd of September. It is time we all say to Mr Masisi: “Enough is enough – go ntse go lekane”.

If Masisi continues being given even more powers than the ones he already cannot handle, Botswana should admit it is feeding an insatiable appetite they cannot sustain. Don’t say you weren’t warned that dictatorship is increasing in this country. Even sadder to countenance is the fact that the Masisi we are witnessing now is supposed to be the humblest version if himself, considering that this is a year in which he is prostrating himself before voters to canvass for re-election; but that humblest version of himself is the one proud enough to be saying to MPs “Le kgwê lethe le itshwarê khubu ..” when all they did was to point out to him that Batswana are generally averse to his decision to ease up restrictions on migration between Zimbabwe and Botswana.  Imagine the Masisi we would have to face if – heaven forbid – he was to win a second term in which he would be ruling without the trepidation that he still to beg any voter for any vote anymore in his life.  

Beyond this bill, we look to the bigger picture and we implore voters across the country on the need to vote wisely.  When the time to vote comes, please vote wisely: We cannot afford a second term for President Masisi.