KGAMA THE DICTATOR The only people who are lucky under kgama’s regime are the dead & those who are in prisons. However one may wonder about the mental status of those people who always give our semi-illiterate leader awards, praises & adulations, have they ever been to Botswana, have they ever been to C.K.G.R, have they ever been to Mosu village, have they ever been to rural areas, do they know that Ipelegeng slaves are regarded as employees! What criteria do they use! Do they ever interview one named pathetic minister who is suffering from bottlicking syndromes, the one and the only charlatan who act like a teenage boy after having s*x for the first time, save it for Sisiboy.. off course they are opinionated intellectual cripples who cook results on gun-point. It’s of late incident that Botswana’s coveted status as a model of democracy in Africa has been seriously exposed. The constitution of the country, in tone and content, is undemocratic which sprinkled Kgama led regime’s interest in monopolizing if not personalizing the government. Nonetheless the constitution itself deserve nothing but to be thrown under Isaac Khosi’s carpet for the fact that it award the president excessive power beyond God and this offers a rich & convenient repository for autocratic rule. The constitution has been exploited under Kgama’s leadership only for him to advance his totalitarian agendas. The President for instance is under no obligation to take advice from anyone in the exercise of his power save it for his own Isaac Khosi. He is also immune to prosecution while in office for any offence whether its murder. Countless sections of the constitution are couched in language that guarantees rights on the one hand and takes away the same rights on the other by providing a plethora of exceptions under which the same rights may not be enjoyed. Section 12 & 13 of the constitution, for instance guarantees the freedom of expression and association respectively but the exercise of these powers is subject to a litany of conditions and formalities. Section 12 (2) allows for the contravention of freedom of expression in the interest of defense, public safety, public order, public morality and public health. The section further allows interference with this freedom where it is necessary to protect the reputations, rights and freedoms of other persons, preventing the disclosure of confidential information, maintaining the authority and independence of the courts, regulating educational institutions and technical administration as well as for the purposes of imposing restrictions upon public officers, employees of local government bodies or teachers. Freedom of expression is thus seriously watered down in the context of Botswana especially under the dictatorial rule of Kgama. The situation is further exacerbated by an absence of subordinate legislation to facilitate the exercise of rights and freedoms contained in the constitutions. There is no Freedom of Information law to give practical expression to the freedom of expression. Legislation that exists is that which restrict or severely limit the exercise of rights and freedom of expression contained in the constitution. In his journal Professor Good ((1996), identify laws such as the law of sedition, defamation and contempt as inimical to the free flow of information. The laws such as the National Security Act, Printed Publications Act and Cinematograph Act have also been cited as inhibiting free flow of information.. Its of late incident that the Media Practitioners Act and the Intelligence and Security Service Act was enacted. These two pieces of legislation further entrenches secrecy and stifles free thought and expression. In nutshell the extra judicial killings, the butchering of Kalafatis family, Harry Tembo who was shot & hacked to death by an axe at Phakalane real estate, the same guy who was a potential witness in countless corruption cases of the notorious gangster Isaac Khosi. The mysterious death of 3 water Utilities Corporation workers, the mysterious death of Police Pilots, The mysterious death of Nchindo. In addition, the mysterious death of Gomolemo Motswaledi, all this horrible things happened under the regime of Kgama The establishment of the terrorists save it for Directorate of Intelligence and Security services has visited fear on many people to express their views. There are also growing fears that the Directorate of intelligence Services tracks people telephone and other electronic communication, the latest requirement by the Botswana Telecommunications Authority to register all mobile phones has only served to heighten the fear. Freedom of expression in Botswana under the leadership of kgama is constrained and restricted. The impact of this is that self censorship has become the norm rather than the exception. There is general caution as to what people say or write lest they offend the many laws that restrict freedom of expression. Academic and intellectuals as a part of the socio-economic milieu are invariably constrained to discharge their mandate freely and openly as they are aware that the general expectation of those who hold power is that of conformism as opposed to critical engagement. The question now becomes is this Democracy or a Constitutional military Dictatorship?? Setlhomo Raymond Tshwanelang
Posted on: Sun, 10 Aug 2014 17:48:12 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015