BDF REBUTTAL “BCP MOURNS BDP TRICKS’’ The BDF is not in the habit of making pronouncements on media articles that have political undertone. Albeit, the BDF is compelled to respond to an article headlined “BCP Mourns BDP Tricks’’ in the Echo newspaper dated 21-27 August 2014. The article avers that the “BDP through the Botswana Defence Force (BDF) is busy orchestrating that a major unit of the BDF Eastern Military Garrison in Selibe Phikwe West, Hospital ward being; the 21 Infantry Battalion be deployed to areas such as Kwando, Phalaphala, Lenyanti, Phoha, Dobe and other military operational areas for an anti-poaching operation during the 2014 General Elections period.‟‟ The Reporter further alleges that the “other affected Camps are said to be the Sir Seretse Khama Barracks in Mogoditshane. The newspaper continues to state that reliable sources have informed the publication that the 21 Infantry is the largest unit in Eastern Military Garrison consisting mainly non-commissioned officers and or lower ranks that are over 1000 in numbers.” The article goes on to allege that the deployed teams are expected to leave Phikwe on 28 August 2014 and the main body will leave on the 6 September 2014 and will return sometime in November after citizens over the age of 18 have exercised their right to cast their votes at the national polls. The impending exercise will allegedly also take place at other military camps where the BDF senses there is stronger opposition.” In view of the above, we wish to draw the attention of the newspaper to the provisions of Defence Force (Regular Force) (Officers) Regulations 75 which is similar to Defence Force (Regular Force) (Other Ranks) Regulation 62 which expressly prohibit active participation by members in politics. The regulations go on to outline what active participation in politics is, which when summed up is essentially any actual or passive association with political parties in the country. Any conduct that may be construed by the public as amounting to such actual or passive association is prohibited and punishable under the BDF Act CAP 21.05. Notwithstanding the above prohibitions, your attention is drawn to sub-regulation (3) of Regulations 75 (2) (e) and (62) (2) (e) of the Officers Regulations and the Other Ranks Regulations respectively which provides for actions and conduct which are permitted. These regulations amongst others provide that; voting at a parliamentary or local authority election is permissible. The above statutes are the same instruments which were read verbatim by the Minister of Defence Justice and Security Honourable D N Seretse in his address to parliament regarding prohibition of BDF members from active participation in politics and the barring of canvassing for votes in military installations by politicians. The BDF finds it regrettable that the newspaper elected to stretch the boundaries of innuendo to deliberately misinform the public by insinuating that BDP through BDF is busy orchestrating that major units of the defence will have their members on trip with a view to stop them from voting. The correct fact is that BDF members, irrespective of being apolitical, like all citizens of this republic, have a right to exercise their right of voting during elections as enshrined in the constitution. To underscore the seriousness with which the BDF high Command views the noble exercise of national elections, Commanders at all levels have been directed as far back as 26 February 2014 through the BDF internal communication process to release their personnel to register during initial and supplementary registration exercise. To therefore allege that plans are underway to deliberately deny BDF members to vote on 24 October 2014 is a serious figmentation of the imagination. BDF deployments in their mission is to defend Botswana‟s Territorial Integrity Sovereignty and National Interests does not in anyway shape or form hinge on denying its members to vote. 3 It would be unfortunate and regrettable if the comments attributed to the aspiring BCP Member of Parliament Dr Dithapelo Keorapetse are true whereby he is alleged to have said no arrangements have been made for concerned officers to vote during the imminent elections as a ploy to disfranchise the military officers. It is worth noting that the BDF has in the numerous past elections released its registered personnel who were in deployment for them to exercise their right to vote and will continue to do so without compromising its operations and the security of this country. For the newspaper to make insinuations that the BDF is deploying because of your alleged disfranchisement is malicious and misleading. Neither has the reporter found it fitting to confirm the facts and went all out to deliberately distort facts regarding BDF involvement in politics with a view to mislead the public. The reporter went under the cover of meeting a deadline and instead called the BDF Commander in the late hours of the night (2026 hrs) with the pretext that PR Officers were unreachable all day. Despite only discussing meeting a deadline and claiming inability to reach BDF PR Officers, the reporter deliberately writes the article in a manner that suggest he/she had discussed the subject matter with the Commander. This shows amateurism and lack of ethics on the part of the reporter since no effort whatsoever was made to contact BDF PR Officers for their input and no discussion on the subject matter with the Commander was made. We therefore, want to state that the article published in the newspaper has been written with the deliberate intent to misinform the public and put the BDF in bad light and we therefore, demand a retraction of the article with the same prominence given to the article. Colonel Tebo Dikole DIRECTOR, PROTOCOL AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS BOTSWANA DEFENCE FORCE HEADQUARTERS
Posted on: Fri, 22 Aug 2014 06:03:10 +0000
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