BDP accused of targeting Khama, Dow
Spira Tlhankane | Monday May 27, 2024 08:39
State President Minister Kabo Morwaeng presented the draft bill for a second reading this week, but most opposition MPs have rejected the bill indicating that it doesn’t reflect Batswana’s views and is rather meant to target individuals.
In the draft bill, there is a proposal to have Clause 16 of the bill amending section 68 by disqualifying a Specially Elected Member (SEMP) from holding the seat if they resign from the political party they were a member of at the time they were so elected.
This according to the proposed law will also apply where a SEMP was not a member of a political party at the time they were so elected and if they become a member of a political party while holding the seat.
The opposition MPs felt that the law is just vengeance to ensure that what happened with current SEMP Unity Dow doesn’t occur ever again. BDP elected Dow as SEMP after the 2019 General Election but after falling out with her party and getting fired from cabinet Dow quit the BDP and joined Botswana Congress Party (BCP) instead.
The BDP in their defence argued what they want to do with the proposed new law is just a follow up to the floor crossing bill which only affects elected MPs. “This Parliament passed a Bill amending section 68 to disqualify Elected Members from floor crossing and therefore it only makes sense that, for completeness a similar provision be inserted to address such in relation to Specially Elected members, Morwaeng argued in Parliament. Another issue the opposition MPs accused the BDP of is targeting former President Ian Khama by introducing a law which ensures that a retired President who has served an aggregate period of 10 years is not eligible for election in any political office. Khama, who is currently in a self imposed exile in South Africa served two terms as the president of Botswana from 2008 to 2018, a period of exactly 10 years. Khama quit his late father Sir Seretse Khama’s party BDP to help form Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF) on the eve of the 2019 General Election.
Khama’s ‘magic’ de-campaigned some ruling BDP bigwigs and he has never left political life since he handed the baton to Masisi on April 1, 2018. Khama’s BPF won all the three Serowe constituencies from the BDP in 2019 and also handed over victories to the opposition in some constituencies in the north and central, something that hurt the BDP to the core.
“The Bill is clear evidence that the government and its leader have no intention of taking Botswana to greater heights in terms of democratization. Moreover, there are clear signs of vendettas against former President Ian Khama and Hon Justice Dr Dow and to some extent to reverse the gains made from Justice Motumise’s case on judicial appointments,” Leader of Opposition (LoO) Dithapelo Keorapetse said in his statement in Parliament this week.
The BDP however, argued that they are not targeting anyone but rather the issue for Batswana during the consultation exercise was that the law must not allow for any loophole. Morwaeng pointed out that government considered the recommendations of the Commission in so far as they relate to the constitution. He further indicated that government had regard to the operation of the constitution that is, whether the recommendations, if given effect to and agreed to, will preserve the unity, peace and stability of the country and promote, adhere to or enhance the rule of law and separation of powers; or add to the adequacy of the constitution in protecting the fundamental rights and freedoms of the individual, among other things.