Let us be honest to the public
Correspondent | Monday July 6, 2015 14:36
And when I recently read in our independent media that the US embassy had taken interest in the alleged corruption scandals of our DIS director Isaac Kgosi, I really got interested to see what the Americans, especially think of the Isaac Kgosi case. In fact, I went a step further to go and have a look at the USA embassy report quoted by a local newspaper. I was hoping to read a mouthful from the actual report, which has been hyped by the media. I was a bit disappointed I don’t know whether to say I was disappointed by the media report or the US embassy report itself.
After studying the portion of the report on Isaac Kgosi, I felt either the media gave the report too much publicity for nothing, or its contents, intents and spirit were blown out of proportion either by design or by an overzealous media looking for some elusive gargantuan expose on Isaac Kgosi.
To be honest to the Embassy report, it has nothing tarnishing that suggests that the Obama government wants Isaac Kgosi to be prosecuted.
What I find in this report is the US embassy narrating on various media topics that they read about. The report by the US embassy, in fact to my surprise, does not make any judgement or findings as to whether Isaac Kgosi is corrupt or as to whether the newspapers are being just out right malicious about Isaac Kgosi. I wanted to find out whether the US embassy if, like some pockets of the local media also believe in guilty before proven innocent, which is the stance that unfortunately our media have taken in the Isaac Kgosi matter.
I wanted to find out whether the Americans are happy with the media stance of judging a person and pronouncing him guilty before he could even be charged by the DPP. After reading that America has taken interest in the matter, I thought I would find somewhere where the Ambassador or something like that writes to government of Botswana asking for clarity, after all that’s how these missions escalate their concerns, government to government. So I was hoping to read somewhere the Americans quoting the attitude of government, or DPP, on this matter, if at all like it is reported, America had indeed taken interest. I have read similar reports where America’s proactive actions come out clearly in the report, like the CKGR issue and the SADC issues.
I think the Embassy have handled the Isaac Kgosi matter well, they didn’t dabble in instead they just reported what we already been reading. In fact, to the Isaac kgosi is not the only matter that is contained in the report, almost every little headline is reported in the embassy report. However, I think the way the media reports about the contents of this report deliberately twists facts or flames fires, which can breed bad blood between America and Botswana. My advice is let us be careful with the pen, even if we are forced go oketsa marago ka matlapa.
Thank you.
Leonard Ramore