In this series, I will be writing to the government of UDP led by President Gideon Duma Boko.
Mr. President Sir, I am writing directly to you to dust your papers and check whether your government has fulfilled any of its campaign promises. During the campaigns you were talking freely and making unguarded promises.
About two years, you are yet to find your feet,In case you have lost your electioneering manifesto and have forgotten your promises to the people of Botswana, kindly confirm the following:When last did you check the economy of the country you are leading as president? Do you know the state of the economy of Botswana currently?
Do you know the current value of Diamond which is the country’s a basic natural mineral resource and revenue source?Are you aware that the mines are retrenching staff due to inability to meet salaries responsibilities?
Have you been informed of the current rate of mouth and foot diseases in the country and that it is steadily increasingly and becoming uncontrollable?
Does the health ministry reveal to you that there are no medications in the hospitals and that the mortality rate is increasing at 14 per cent, particularly among the children and pregnant the women.Do you know that unemployment has direct consequence on the crime rate in a society? And that the increasing unemployment is impacting the crime rates?
Are you aware that there is increasing drop-out from school after Junior Certificate exams, Cambridge (Form 5). The direct consequence of these are random robberies at traffic points, in the nights and early hours of the mornings. Pension paid to old people is no more regular and may soon not be paid at all.
Are you also aware that there are increasing records of STDs among adults and teenagers due to increasing immoralities and ignorance of the dangers of immorality?
Are you aware that child- marriages and ritual killings are still going on and the security agencies are doing nothing to curb the trends?How have you tried to curb corruption and bribery by security agencies, in government institutions and even in the private sector?
Of course we are aware that your government has plans to gag anyone opposing or criticising your government. Particularly, members of my party, the BDP, so that there won’t be any party to challenge your re-election bid. Your government is planning towards silencing every opposition and have concluded arrangement to introduce a one party system in Botswana.
You have taken control of the media with intimidation and threat to arrest and detain any dissenting voices, which have made people and mostly media correspondents to collapse their voices. You have prepared bed spaces in the prisons for anyone who opposes your government. But some of us will continue to tell you the truth.
Note that power does not reside at a spot for long or forever. Power is a mobile factor. Just like power shifted from BDP to UDP, so shall it leave UDP to its next destination.
My job is to continue is bring to your knowledge those facts that your lieutenants refuse to tell you or which you intentionally refuse to accept to be aware of.
Mine is positive criticisms to give your government the opportunity to do better, expose the lies and advise the government to deliver on their campaign promises.
Michael Phiri Jawe, writes from Europe.