MILITARY CAMPS APOLITICAL - NDELU Segametsi Kebonang reporting for BOPA Canvassing for votes in military installations violates the Botswana Defence Force and Protected Areas Act, Minister of Defence, Justice and Security, Mr Dikgakgamatso Seretse has said. Addressing the media in Gaborone on Tuesday, March 18, Minister Seretse said relevant steps by the defence authority could be taken against individuals or politicians who do so. “Military installations cannot be used as open forums for partisan politics as this can be dangerous to the territorial integrity of the nation,” he said. Minister Seretse said the BDF barracks were military installations listed under the Protected Areas Act and should therefore be respected as such. He called on politicians to respect the law and not act against it. “As politicians lure for votes, it is very important that they respect the laws that have been made in Parliament,” he said. He, however, said political assemblies could be held in military institutions, especially by such bodies, which taught political education. He said these bodies, however, first had to seek for permission, which would be given by the Defence Council before such meetings could take place. Minister Seretse told the media that BDF members had sources of information on political information such as libraries and defence staff colleges, which informed them of the political environment they served in. He said members of the defence force were not barred from exercising the right to vote their government of choice. He also made it clear that no Botswana Defence Force member should be seen actively taking part in partisan politics. Minister Seretse said men and women in uniform were distinct in profession and should therefore be careful and exercise caution on issues of partisan politics. He said the territorial integrity and safety of the nation depended on the professionalism of BDF members who on that basis should never be active in partisan politics, but to serve the government of the day. “Members of the BDF’s duty is to protect the nation as one, not as having distinct political affiliation as by partisan politics involvement, otherwise these men and women in uniform would be killing the neutrality to look after the nation as one”, he said.
Posted on: Wed, 19 Mar 2014 08:55:01 +0000