The Pan Afrikanist Watchman

The Botswana Congress Party has stated categorically that it rejects the report and recommendations of the Presidential Commission on Constitutional Review.

In a hard hitting press statement issued by the party’s Publicity & Information Secretary, Comrade Mpho Pheko, the party dismisses the constitutional review process as a “sham project”.

In fact, it says it feels completely justified about its” disquiet and reservations” at the inception of the process since the whole process was “not inclusive and broad based and thereby lacked legitimacy”.

On the 11^th of March 2022, the BCP cautioned that the approach used by President Masisi was “unilateral” as it was done without any consultation with key stakeholders.

Such stakeholders included Parliament, Botswana Council of Churches, the Leader of Opposition, the House of Chiefs, the Law society, Organised Labour and Civil Society to mention but a few.

Pheko says the BCP also cautioned that the review of the Constitution should be “the most solemn national undertaking, untainted by partisanship and any form of narcissistic instinct”.

This is in light of the fact that the constitution of Botswana is the Republic’s foundational document, the supreme law of the land which defines who we are, how we want to be governed, how we wish to co-exist with each other, and our shared values.

“As a general observation, the commissioners were always going to misdirect themselves considering the quality of submissions at the Kgotlas.

“This we had anticipated when we suggested that the people must be enlightened on the constitution before they were expected to make informed contributions”, Dr Pheko says.

According to the statement, the report is muddled up as it combines constitutional issues and administrative ones. Pheko says the report also seems to represent the views of the commissioners as opposed to a summary and synthesis of the views of Batswana.

To prove that there was no good intention with the exercise except to benefit the ruling party, the BCP cites these examples:

a. The commission rejects popular demand that there be a direct election of the president. It must be noted that President Masisi and Minister to the State President have previously made their views known that they do not want this reform.

b. The Commission rejects a popular call to count ballots at polling stations. It must be noted that the Botswana Democratic Party government have continuously rejected this, even when it was made by external observers and IEC stakeholder forums.

c. The report makes no mention of the electoral system moving away from the First Past the Post. Again, this is one reform that the opposition have continuously demanded.

d. The commission has recommended political party funding. Whilst we have called for this for a long time it would serve the nation better if it was part of a proportional representation electoral system instead of the FPTP in which there is vast disparity in allocation, and other political players are left out.

Considering this recommendation, BDP will rake in close to P2000 000. 00, while the next dominant party, UDC will take home around P800 000.00, BPF (P150 000) and AP will take home a meagre P50 000. This is tantamount to heist by the BDP.

According to Pheko. the outcome of the exercise has vindicated the opposition view that the president chose a wrong selfish approach to the constitutional review.

“We are content that we trusted our instinct and conscience and refused to be part of this scam. We want to state it on record that this exercise was a sham and Botswana Congress Party continues to reject it”.

The statement concludes that the recommendations passed on to the president are nothing but a wish list from the president himself.

“We call upon the president to abandon the mission and start afresh with full participation of stakeholders. This is not President Masisi’s project”, Pheko says.