The National Amalgamated Local, Central Government and Parastatal Manual Workers’ Union has accused President Duma Boko of arrogance, intolerance and running the country in a manner that threatens democratic governance.
In a report titled A Clarion Crying Voice: UDC Government Failures, the union claims the leadership style of the president has become increasingly hostile to criticism and dismissive of key democratic institutions. The publication describes the current administration led by the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) as drifting away from the consultative and inclusive approach it promised voters before the 2024 elections.
“The UDC government has become intolerant, arrogant and less inclusive of other critical democratic voices,” the report states.
According to the union, the president’s conduct in office has created an atmosphere in which dissenting opinions are ignored and decision-making is concentrated in the executive.
The union argues that the president frequently dismisses views from institutions that play a central role in democratic governance, including the media, parliament, civil society and the business community.
“In diametrically contrast we have continuously evidenced that this country is ruled by an angry president,” the report says. “He inaptly believes that he is the most intelligent person to ever grace Botswana, so much that he can even advise himself.”
The union argues that the president frequently dismisses views from institutions that play a central role in democratic governance, including the media, parliament, civil society and the business community.
“He derides all the custodians of democracy; the media, Business Botswana, the legislators, the opposition parties and the tertiary students and by insinuation his party comrades in parliament and grade all as of limited intellectual pedigree,” the document states. The report further claims that the country is facing multiple national crises that require collective leadership but instead decisions are being taken without broad consultation.
Among the challenges listed are rising gender-based violence, youth unemployment, economic contraction and declining diamond revenues. “We remain shocked that under such catastrophic situations, the president remains a leader without other leaders,” the report says. The union warns that failure to consult widely on national issues risks weakening Botswana’s long-standing democratic traditions.
In one of the strongest passages in the document, the union suggests that the current leadership style resembles authoritarian systems seen elsewhere on the continent.
“We are under typical African dictatorship where everything is controlled by the president except the climate,” the report states.
The publication also accuses the government of abandoning the values it proclaimed while campaigning for power.
“It should be noted that the UDC government entered governance decreeing moral superiority, progressive governance, intellectual rigour, inclusivity, participatory democracy and consultative governance,” the report says. The union argues that the gap between promises and reality is widening, leading to growing public frustration.
According to the report, the situation could have been avoided if the president had convened a broad national dialogue to address economic and social challenges facing the country.
“All the above national pains could have warranted a progressive president to have called a democracy stakeholder meeting for idea mining and sharing,” the report states. To address what it describes as a leadership crisis, the union proposes the creation of a presidential advisory think tank composed of independent experts.
“This entails the creation of a laboratory of ideas to foster thought leadership,” the report explains. The organisation says such a body would help restore confidence in government decision-making and ensure that policies are based on research rather than personal judgement.
The union also proposes the adoption of a leadership value-based moral index to promote accountability among public officials. Despite the harsh criticism, the union says the report is intended as a constructive intervention aimed at protecting Botswana’s democratic legacy. “This clarion call therefore endeavors to amplify and operationalize critical postures of policy intents which can transform Botswana,” the document states.
