The elusive feat of crafting a winning electoral message
Lewanika Timothy | Monday January 15, 2024 06:01
Taking a step back to 2019 which were perhaps one of the nation’s most contested and heated elections, political parties across the political divide tried to convince the polity that the BDP`s rule as a supreme demagogue had come to end, using vast combinations of diction and rhetoric.
Diction and rhetoric play a vital role in politics, the tactical combination of these duo can be atomic weaponry with the ability to wit and sway voter decisions from the left to the right. Local politicians may not storm the podium like Dr King at the capitol with an 'I have a dream speech', but they have their own unique way of crafting engaging, humorous and persuasive messages all in an effort to gain electoral victory.
In 2019 when the BDP stood head and shoulders above other political parties, it used the “Masisi ware bitsa” tagline. With a popular vote of 52% and 38 number of seats in Parliament, Batswana proved to have heeded the BDP call to follow and trust President Mokgweetsi Masisi. A peep into this tagline that centred more on an individual than the party itself, sprouted from the BDP`s desire to herald the coming of a new political dispensation.
Almost selling a new BDP that was more in touch with the ever evolving needs of the country was the key message. Following a worrying performance in the 2014 polls the BDP knew it had to use an old political strategy from the book, blame someone and create a saviour. The blamed fellow would be the previous administration led by former president Ian Khama and the new redeemer would be Masisi taking people to the Promised Land.
Much of the BDP strategy would roll out to be blaming Khama for past mistakes and hailing Masisi as the dawning of a new leader who would wash away the sins of the past administration. Such a campaign message would add fuel to the growing furry fire tension between the duo, making the 2019 elections much of a Khama against Masisi ring match. Five years later, the highly hailed BDP leader has almost completed his first term, whether or not the country has reached Cannan remains a subjective conclusion left to the polity to decide, but one thing for sure the Masisi wa re bitsa campaign has lost its aura and will not hold water in 2024.
On the other hand, Duma Boko’s Umbrella for Democratic change (UDC) took an intellectual approach and outlook in the build up to the 2019 polls. Led by a legal expert and surrounded with a team of other intellectuals, the UDC somewhat reminded Botswana of the 1966 political epoch led by intellects like Dr Kenneth Koma and Motsamai Mpho. Under a social democracy ideology, the UDC believes in returning economic power to the people and empowering the livelihood of the masses. One of the prominent electoral promises was the creation of 100,000 jobs in 12 months alongside raising the minimum wage to P3,000 which caused uproar of debates across economic intellectuals in the country. The UDC presented itself as a pool of logical masterminds with a strong command over national issues and pragmatic results to offer. The nation would turn its eyes one more time to the Presidential debate seeking for more convincing on whom to vote for. Boko's strategy was to flaunt off intellectual command and display the UDC as a viable option from the aged BDP.
Criticism against the charismatic yet unpopular leader of the UDC only grew in prominence. Widely considered to be ‘flashy and arrogant’, controversy surrounding Boko snowballed during the Presidential debate. Batswana were upset over what they thought to be the careless use of rhetoric and eloquence labelling it a gross blunder. Boko used words from a local Botswana song by late folklore legend Ratsie Setlhako which left a bitter taste amongst many Batswana. Specifically, words from the song read, “Re buswa ke bo nkoborwane, ditlhodi bo magogajase ke raa bo Rankurate”.
This phrase means “we are ruled by the goblins, the spies and the giraffes and the Rankurate”. Following the debate numerous Batswana took to social media and even called into radio shows to raise their condemnation against Boko. The argument was made that he abused Batswana culture as well as the words of a local legend for his own political gain. As an individual act, Bokos alleged arrogance and misuse of local culture likely saw to the final nail in his Bonnington North coffin. Born from the party factionalism of the Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD), the Gaolathe-Mmolotsi Alliance for Progressives (AP) presented a breath of fresh air from the normal hateful, spiteful politics. Positioning itself as a ship ready to traverse calm political waters that are often stormy and troubled. Gaolathe was seen as a more progressive, stable and principled leader compared to Boko and Masisi. During the Presidential debate, Gaolathe likened himself to King David, who is said to have defeated a giant with a sling and stone. This narrative helped the AP brand stay concrete towards the elections creating a belief that the underdog may make strides in the elections.
The AP’s disinclination towards forming a new party before elections left the AP with little influence in the 2019 electoral landscape despite their promising policies of a “new Botswana”. Their rhetoric and campaign message was betrayed by their absence in areas outside of the urban cities and towns given their infancy in Botswana politics. Now that it is election time the AP can no longer use the narrative of being an underdog that deserves to be given a chance. Gaining one electoral seat in the previous elections killed any momentum the AP had with the only chance of AP thriving being under the UDC banner.
The electoral message challenge does not only fall on the opposition’s lot, but the BDP has the challenge of presenting new hope. Popular votes have historically been on a downward spiral for all past BDP presidents on the second term and given the culmination of past challenges such as COVID -19.