Ian Khama – The President of Botswana

Ian Khama is a flop Its almost 16 months since Seretse Khama ’s eldest son took office as President of Botswana on April Fool’s day last year thanks to the outdated and a very undemocratic piece of legislation, automatic succession. Automatic succession imposes handpicked individual such as Khama for the people even though he may not enjoy popular support nationally. Automatic succession catapulted Khama to power.

Ian Khama was imposed on Batswana by former president Festus Mogae who was imposed by his predessesor Sir Ketumile Masire and Ian Khama will choose and impose his brother Tshekedi who will then pave way for Anthony after 10 years. There has been a lot of excitement that Khama possesses the so-called Khama magic, which I have hitherto failed to see. I have on several occasions tried to put my ear on the ground in search of any positive developments brought by Ian. Unfortunately I can’t find any. Ian Khama was recruited in to politics with an agenda to come and unite the warring BDP due to the recommendation made by the South African political scientist Professor Lawrence Schlemmer. However, Ian entrenched factionalism in the BDP to the extent that he is now leading the annihilated A – team faction sometimes known as the Nkate and Merafhe faction.

He has failed to understand that factionalism in the BDP is insurmountable and belligerent. Basically he has not fulfilled the mandate he was brought to deliver on since uniting the BDP has eluded him. Khama is not a democrat despite bragging during his inauguration that he went to the military to defend democracy. Who was he trying to fool? We all know that he joined the military to defend his father who was the president by then. Remember Ian Khama was recruited to become a brigadier at the age of 24 surpassing all the well-deserving soldiers in the army! What qualification(s) did he posses to be guaranteed that post as his academic /educational credentials are kept surreptitiously in this country. The appointing authority was his late father. Is this not corruption? Father appointing son! Despite bragging that he is a democrat Khama has hitherto failed to abide by the results of the BDP congress in Kanye where his sycophants got a total white wash. Even though the BDP members voted for people of their choice, Ian Khama unilaterally filled the central committee and its subcommittees with his puppets. Khama has killed and continues to kill inner-party democracy within BDP. He is God to some unthinking BDP members. No one is allowed to differ with him – ask Daniel Kwelagobe, Botsalo Ntuane, Pono Moatlhodi and Gomolemo Motswaledi. A lot of people from the Barata Phati faction are very virulent about him; unfortunately others have sworn to die in silence in their desperate endeavor to protect their political ambitions.

Ian Khama did not relinquish his position as the Paramount Chief of Bangwato when becoming the so-called “politician”, which effectively means that he is sitting on three chairs at the same time (president, chief, soldier). These actions totally defeat the notion of separation of powers. It was in 1972 when his late father, then president introduced the requirements that the chief has to have resigned his chieftainship post five years before qualifying for parliamentary elections. Tawana Moremi of Batawana renounced his chieftainship when he joined politics. Did this apply to Ian? No! A question of double standards. Ponatshego Kedikilwe had this to say about Khama while he was still at VP “the VP seems to enjoy powers that no other politicians who will subsequently hold that position office will be entitled to. Do you think that the next VP will fly helicopters even if he is be a pilot)”? Ian Khama has developed democrats to be docile, timid and fearful, you disagree with him, you are doomed, ask Motswaledi! Prior the 2009 Kanye BDP congress he publicly endorsed and campaigned for his A – Team faction against the Barata Phati. He even went to the extend of humiliating the veteran Daniel Kwelagobe dismissing him as old and very sick. Worst of all Khama handpicked BDP parliamentary candidates for 2009 in Gaborone and deployed them in constituencies chosen by him disregarding the BDP’s laid down democratic procedures for primary elections. The war between BDP factions is based on who is Khama’s best bootlicker. Stooges, praise poets and sycophants are associated with Ian Khama so that they be rewarded with either ambassadorial posts, specially elected to parliament or nominated to councillors. Remember the words of the perpetual loser Tebelelo Seretse to Ian Khama “ke lelope la gago”. Ian Khama is a person who cannot be trusted, remember he said he didn’t want cabinet ministers to occupy central committee positions only to renege on his word and appoint Nkate and Merafhe. Khama shares certain traits with Alhaji Field Marshall Idi Amin Dada (CBE, Conqueror of the British Empire), they are men of several titles. Khama also has some tendencie,s which were displayed by some autocratic African leaders such as Daniel Arap Moi who used to donate millions of shillings for community projects and contribute milk to school children. Ian Khama portrays himself as a generous Father Christmas who gives out food handouts to people who deserve proper services from his BDP government. He normally raises money for medical fees for the sick and footballers. He at one stage dished out soccer balls and other commodities in his lame attempt to build his own personality cult, a pseudo-philanthropist! During the race for the BDP chairmanship against Ponatshego Kedikilwe in 2003, Khama bribed and bought votes by donating chairs, tent, sewing machines and a combi to the BDP Women’s Wing. Just like Idi Amin who considered himself a nationalist but took major development projects to his area of birth, we assume Khama used his informal prerogative to decide on the location of the second university to Serowe/Palapye. Serowe is his home village; the government task force’s recommendation had cited Selebi Phikwe. Most of the developments are taking place in the central districts. Ian Khama is an autocrat who quashes dissenting voices and rules with an iron fist, ask Professor Kenneth Good. Before he became a Khama convert Oliphant Mfa once stated that when Khama becomes head of state, democracy would be enjoyed by those in their graves and in jail. Indeed, an accurate prediction. The outspoken and eloquent Boyce Sebetela was so scared of Ian Khama to the extent that he ran from parliament to go and work in the mines. Khama is a dictator and a political novice who lacks vision and consciousness. He has always remained silent on major challenges facing the country, he is a person born with the qualities of a dictator and raised to become one. He inherited most of what he has (puppets, wealth, land and societal position) from his father. Khama has always been treated with kids gloves, he enjoys special coverage from BTV, Daily News and government radio stations. Remember Mompati Merafhe vacated the commander post at BDF for him, Roy Blackbeard vacated the Serowe North constituency for him, PHK vacated the BDP chairmanship for him and just last year Festus Mogae vacated the presidency for him (o tlwaetse go sutelwa). Khama failed in his coordination on the work of all ministries and ensuring the implementation of government programs, policies and project sanctioned by parliament while he was VP Ian Kgama has never written an application letter applying for a job, neither has he ever boarded a taxi nor paid rent in his life. He has not entered politics to serve the nation but to increase and accumulate wealth. Khama demanded a sabbatical leave even before he commenced his work as VP and later demanded to be given a cabinet post without portfolio. Khama never attended parliament, but received sitting allowances, his silence became legendary, he only spoke/commented during the debate about salary increments he verbally castigated, insulted and vilified MPs calling them vultures when they asked for salary increases while he himself made and earned a lot. When his salary was assessed he was awarded and he accepted increment that far surpassed that of the then president Mogae. Khama created or must I say he introduced the notorious Directorate on Intelligence and Security (DIS) and it is headed by his longtime friend and his ex-private secretary Colonel Isaac Kgosi. The DIS tribunal is headed by a BDP central committee member Isaac Seloko. The DIS is a tool used to intimidate and harass people. Speculation is rife that they are now torturing civilians and killing people after the uncivilized and barbaric murder of John Kalafatis, Khama’s deputy Mompati Merafhe lamented that one or two killings cannot shake our good name. Shame on him! Mark my words, after the general elections people are going to disappear. They will die of horrific deaths like being burnt alive and deliberately planned accidents. The main motive behind the establishment of DIS is to spy on the opposition, Barata Phati faction and other people perceived to be enemies of Khama. We suspect that the 200 million allocated to DIS for which it cannot be held accountable is meant to finance the ruling party ’s campaign for the 2009 election, remember that in Zambia, the money for the intelligence agency was used to lobby for a third term for former president Frederick Chiluba. The Khama administration is now on an endeavor to invade people’s privacy and civil liberties of citizens by the registration of simcards. This is a product of DIS. I have to point out that the Khama family is the worst enemy of opposition politics in independent Botswana. The Khama dynasty is responsible over the years for weakening and disintegration the opposition since independence. It has been said that Ian ’s father used state machinery such as secret police and the special branch to spy on the late Dr K Koma. It has been reported that at one stage the secret police stole a bag from Dr Koma whilst on a journey by train and stories are told of peoples’ passports being seized at the airport by the Seretse Khama regime as they were prevented from travelling to what the government perceived to be an unacceptable destination. Ian is pursuing his father’s agenda. Colonel Kgosi who is Khama’s friend has a long history with the BDF intelligence unit and is now playing role similar to Malawian dictator Hastings Kamuzu Banda’s young Pioneers. When he became the president, Ian Khama started militarising the society, government and government departments. Basically he installed soldiers into key civil service positions in order to ensure that he is surrounded by puppets and yes-men who will not question his authority. The current cabinet is composed of a large number of retired soldiers Lieutenant General Mompati Merafhe, Captain Kitso Mokaila, Brigadier Ndelu Seretse (Ian Khama’s first cousin) whose agenda is to keep Ian’s presidency safe. The general manager of Central Transport Organisation (CTO) is Colonel Moakofi Modisenyane, the General Manager of Btv is Mr. Molefhe Sejoe a former senior police officer. Colonel Duke Masilo is the deputy senior private secretary to the president, while Kitso Mokaila’s brother Tefo is what his father was to Seretse Khama by being the private secretary of the state house. It is indeed, true that, soldiers without the requisite skills are appointed to senior government positions. Kaman surrounds himself with friends, relatives and bootlickers as advisors. Some of his praise poets and bootlickers like to scream loud about how many times he won elections. They tend to forget that the majority of people who voted for him ceased thinking 43 years ago and surrendered their own brains to Seretse Khama. Its only hooligans who can defend Khama’s lackluster and uninspiring leaders. Only opportunists and fools are haranguing him. His capabilities are just exaggerated. Ian Khama’s presidency is a threat to the nations stability; he is a commander in chief who does not abide by the rules and law. Since he became President last year, the country has been bombarded with all manner of presidential directives unprecedented in the country. Parliament is usually ignored on major decisions involving huge sums of money; he undermines the country’s existing administrative structures by ruling through decrees. Ian Khama unilateralism and populist initiatives paid little attention to the 2008/2009 budgets passed by parliament. The NDP 10 just like NDP 9 will become just another document as it hardly spearheads or guides development. Vision 2016 has now been replaced by the 4D’s – Khama’s personal creation. Discipline has now become the buzzword. While other leaders were busy trying to come up with rescue plans to offset the effects of the global financial crisis or save their countries from the harsh economic onslaught, Khama continues to sit around the fire during the day listening to folktales with elderly people. Khama has without consultation introduced limited hours to operate bars, restaurants, clubs and even entertainment activities such as festivals. Botsalo Ntuane was reprimanded and forced to publicly apologise for his reservations on the liquor issue. The Ian Khama-led government has become so arrogant, intolerant and insensitive to the extend that they passed the draconian hefty traffic fines and the Media Practitioners Act without even calling for a full debate at parliament. This will certainly be a way of impairing the rights to freedom of speech and expression. Parliament has now become a rubberstamp of the executive decisions; bills are rushed into parliament without debate. In conclusion there is no doubt that Khama is a liability, he has never held a press conference or addressed journalists on his spontaneous and populist policies, during his time as the commander of BDF, private news papers were at one stage banned from being sold in the barracks. Ian Khama and his entourage of surrogates spent P1363 2 64 on his visit to USA recently for an unnecessary meeting on the board of conservation international. Newspaper reports indicate that Khama has hitherto failed to give a statement on Nchindo’s case. This is risky for the country and challenges his efforts to curb corruption. Khama withdrew his threat to sue a local newspaper for defamation for fear of being declared an illegitimate president. By threatening to sue the newspaper he wanted to divert the nation’s attention from the real issue of extra-judicial killings by the security officers. Arafat Khan BNF YOUTH LEAGUE SPOKESPERSON

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 16th, 2011 at 7:26 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.