We salute Mma Hobona

Staff Writer | Tuesday January 28, 2014 15:55

nd so it is that when the Francistown West by-election finally took place, a new era in the politics of Botswana in general, and the Botswana Congress Party's in particular, was ushered in. For the first time in the history of what is touted as Africa's oldest democracy, the distaff section of the Botswana population has a representative directly elected from the ranks of the opposition. Ladies and gentlemen, we present Dr Habaudi Hobona, the mint new Member of Parliament for Francistown West!

And although the voter turnout was quite low, thanks mainly to the yo-yo antics that surrounded the constituency, we say more power to your elbow, Dr Hobona! Inspite of the country's much-vaunted democratic credentials, she joins a Parliament packed with men (many of them closet male chauvinists) with no more than a smattering of women of the domineering Botswana Democratic Party, half of whom are bereft of the popular vote, having entered the House by means of the notorious special election. This accords well with Botswana's refusal to ratify the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development that encourages equal representation of men and women at all levels because although our military-minded government advances the argument that it prefers leadership by merit, the reality is that it is steeped in lesser values, including naked nepotism and unbridled cronyism.

The arrival of Hobona should embolden the opposition because it also tips the balance of opposition in Parliament in favour of the BCP, thus immediately ending the rancorous debate over the issue of Leader of the Opposition by filling the gaping void. Once the important chair has been filled, the incumbent should marshal the efforts of the combined opposition to better contribute to debate and improve the lot of the majority of Batswana who are no more than human waste at present. Hobona, we believe, is going to Parliament with one purpose - to serve the people of Francistown West and the rest of Batswana with diligence. Batswana, and women in particular, would do well to take a leaf from the weekend poll and make it their mission to vote for more women in the general elections later this year. This is because the issue of marginalised women is real. Battered, then deserted, we see such women raising families single-handedly, and it is our belief that meaningful intervention would be channelled better through appropriate gender representatives.

Our country is going through unprecedented challenges of corruption that is fuelled by untold greed and a frightening breed of callousness that manifests itself through extra-judicial killings. If nothing else, the latter is a compelling reason why we need more women in Parliament. Women know first-hand the pain of bearing a child, and cannot bear it to have children shot in cold blood without due process. We take this opportunity to appeal to those Batswana who have not registered for the 2014 general elections to take advantage of supplementary registration next month: Register one and all.

Today's Thought

'There's a story behind everything, but behind all your stories is always your mother's story because hers is where yours begins.'

- Mitch Albom

For the first time in the history of what is touted as Africa's oldest democracy, the distaff section of the Botswana population has a representative directly elected from the ranks of the opposition. Ladies and gentlemen, we present Dr Habaudi Hobona, the mint new Member of Parliament for Francistown West! And although the voter turnout was quite low, thanks mainly to the yo-yo antics that surrounded the constituency, we say more power to your elbow, Dr Hobona! Inspite of the country's much-vaunted democratic credentials, she joins a Parliament packed with men (many of them closet male chauvinists) with no more than a smattering of women of the domineering Botswana Democratic Party, half of whom are bereft of the popular vote, having entered the House by means of the notorious special election.

This accords well with Botswana's refusal to ratify the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development that encourages equal representation of men and women at all levels because although our military-minded government advances the argument that it prefers leadership by merit, the reality is that it is steeped in lesser values, including naked nepotism and unbridled cronyism. The arrival of Hobona should embolden the opposition because it also tips the balance of opposition in Parliament in favour of the BCP, thus immediately ending the rancorous debate over the issue of Leader of the Opposition by filling the gaping void. Once the important chair has been filled, the incumbent should marshal the efforts of the combined opposition to better contribute to debate and improve the lot of the majority of Batswana who are no more than human waste at present.

Hobona, we believe, is going to Parliament with one purpose - to serve the people of Francistown West and the rest of Batswana with diligence. Batswana, and women in particular, would do well to take a leaf from the weekend poll and make it their mission to vote for more women in the general elections later this year. This is because the issue of marginalised women is real. Battered, then deserted, we see such women raising families single-handedly, and it is our belief that meaningful intervention would be channelled better through appropriate gender representatives. Our country is going through unprecedented challenges of corruption that is fuelled by untold greed and a frightening breed of callousness that manifests itself through extra-judicial killings. If nothing else, the latter is a compelling reason why we need more women in Parliament. Women know first-hand the pain of bearing a child, and cannot bear it to have children shot in cold blood without due process. We take this opportunity to appeal to those Batswana who have not registered for the 2014 general elections to take advantage of supplementary registration next month: Register one and all. Today's Thought

'There's a story behind everything, but behind all your stories is always your mother's story because hers is where yours begins.' - Mitch Albom