Whose constitutional review was it?

Mmegi Editor | Monday December 12, 2022 06:00

It was headed by former Chief Justice, Maruping Dibotelo with veteran trade unionist, Johnson Motshwarakgole as vice-chairperson.

The Commissioners represented diverse career backgrounds and demographics. They hold influential positions, qualifications and work experience amongst others: chiefs, journalists, natural resources specialists, geologists, lawyers, the clergy, business administration, education, governance, disability law and policy issues, legislative drafting and population studies.

In their quest to solicit views from Batswana, they hosted 132 countrywide Kgotla meetings that were attended by nearly 30,000 people over a four-month period. They also held hearings with different stakeholders. As this went on, there were concerns that it seemed as if many people did not know what was expected of them.

The full report is out and it would seem like it is not the same process that Batswana participated in. Most shocking about the document is that the committee went on to impose its thoughts on what Batswana should do including what their views were.

Mmegi saw the report early and spoke against it that State President Minister, Kabo Morwaeng, was calling on Batswana not to go against the Botswana Democratic Party’s National Council resolution that there should not be direct election of the President. Shame on the Commission for stating that it is what Batswana want and go on to use its prerogative to state that they are against it.

Now the question is, was the constitutional review for Batswana or for President Mokgweetsi Masisi? The report, which has now been availed electronically, has been met with fierce resistance from Batswana as per social media engagements.

With that having been said, we call on the President to send back the Commissioners to look at their notes and compile what Batswana had ordered. It is clear we have not done enough and we cannot go any further with the document in its current form without fixing it and making it work for all.

To you Batswana, you are mostly criticising from the arm chairs while only under 30,000 of you participated in the process. This should be a wake-up call to all of us to actively participate in our democracy.

It is us who can make our country be what we aspire it to be by taking part and not crying foul afterwards. Let us all stand up, we have only one Botswana.

Today's thought

“However good a Constitution may be, if those who are implementing it are not good, it will prove to be bad. However bad a Constitution

may be, if those implementing it are good, it will prove to be good.”

- B. R. Ambedkar