Molale has a point, parly security is lax
Oarabile Mosikare | Friday March 6, 2015 15:01
Molale told Parliament that political discourse of late has been characterised by deep emotions and actions that call for increased vigilance. He said there are many people with unlicensed and illegal handguns in the country. To protect the legislators from harm, an agreement was reached with the Speaker of the National Assembly, Gladys Kokorwe that security assessment is done by the relevant agencies. What Molale did not tell Parliament is how the legislators would be protected from harm outside Parliament.
These latest developments are a clear demonstration that for years, the ministry responsible for Parliament did not have the pulse rate of security. That we are a peace loving country is not an excuse for lax security. That the public gallery in Parliament is always teeming with security operatives is not enough.
We still remember vividly what happened in so-called peaceful Sweden in 2003. A senior member of the Swedish government died from stab wounds sustained when a man in a Stockholm departmental store attacked her. The Foreign Affairs Minister, Anna Lindh suffered severe internal bleeding and liver and stomach injuries after being stabbed in the chest, stomach and arms.
The Swedes never thought such an incident could happen in their peace loving country. In Botswana, the reality is that a member of public can enter Parliament unnoticed armed to the teeth. In 1995, striking University of Botswana students nearly took over Parliament and forced presidential security men to fire in the air.
Last year, a man in the public gallery who appeared mentally disturbed shouted at then cabinet minister, Dikgakgamatso Seretse. The incident showed that it is easy to hurl missiles at MPs from the public gallery. Just like other jurisdictions, we should ensure that Parliament remains a safe and accessible place for everybody. Hence, Molale is right in the move to upgrade security in Parliament. We should put airport like scanners, CCTV cameras, alarms and other security gadgets in Parliament.
The denialists would accuse Molale of acting at the behest of his master, President Ian Khama. As a former army general, Khama is known to be overly obsessed with his security. It was reported recently that opposition MPs in Parliament have rejected Molale’s attempts to up the security in Parliament. I agree with the opposition that in as much as security is important, the minister should be candid on the issue. Molale should not be influenced by isolated cases.
Over the years, the opposition has been consistently advocating for the beefing of security at the august House. It is there in the records of the Hansard. Generally, the world over, Parliament is a secured area. Although Molale exaggerated that the political discourse of late has been characterised by deep emotions and actions that call for increased vigilance, it is high time our MPs are offered bodyguards. The MPs have to interact with their electorates but like real VIPs, they need security. They are not ordinary members of public.
I am reliably informed that Molale’s controversial security measures were discussed at a general assembly and the contributions of the critics will be taken into account. One hopes that Molale’s intervention is not an excuse for the members of security apparatus to enter the floor of Parliament as happened last month in South Africa.