Are Legislators More Equal Than The Citizenry?

Monitor Editor | Monday May 11, 2020 16:22

The allegations opened old and new wounds for different activist groups and individuals.  Botswana has many defilement cases, and as a matter of fact, there are still many more, which go unreported (either because the parents have been paid off, or they are protecting the perpetrator because he is a family member).  News that MP Majaga is a wanted man for allegedly defiling a 16-year-old broke last week and people from different walks of life expressed disgust if indeed the allegations were true.

Some were calling for the MP to be arrested immediately, wondering why he is still labelled a wanted man, while the police force knew exactly where he was.

We all understand the innocent till proven guilty rule, but members of the civil society have often decried that some members of the society seem to enjoy preferential treatment, at the expense of others i.e. victims and their families.

Many thought MP Majaga would be apprehended at least after the emergency parliamentary meeting for COVID-19 on Wednesday, and many were disappointed when that did not happen.

Issues such as this one can cause a lot of discord in the society because all citizens are equally important in their country, and as such the law should apply the same way regardless of social standing, or political party affiliation.

While it seems, the police ultimately arrested MP Majaga, he had been given the leeway to attend to ‘important errands’ prior to him being taken into custody. While no one is trying to sentence Rre Majaga before he stands trial, the allegations levelled against him are of a serious nature.

But, sadly sometimes, it is incidents like these that make ordinary citizens believe that Gender Based Violence (GBV), and crimes suffered by the girl-child at the hands of grown men are not taken seriously.  In the past we have seen rapists and those charged with defilement being sentenced to prison terms, but sadly enough, the cases usually involve the common folk, who perhaps cannot even afford to hire a law. The question remains, is the law only for the poor in our country? Or are the decisions taken based on party affiliation?

Majaga reportedly turned himself in at the Francistown Central on Saturday, and was ultimately transferred to a detention facility at Kutlwano Police Station in Francistown.  MP Majaga is expected to appear in court today (Monday) where formal defilement charges will be laid against him.  This is a plea to government to ensure that the law applies to citizens equally. If indeed Majaga has defiled a 16-year-old, allow the law to take its course, and again if the MP is innocent, he deserves a fair trial.