[This post rightly belongs to the blog myikalanga dot
blogspot dot com, but seeing as the blog is still “under development” I thought
it will be OK if I temporarily slot the post here!]
President Ian Khama took a conscious and deliberate decision
not to read Botswana newspapers. Of course he reads (akin to editing) the
Government mouthpieces – Dailiy News etc. However, nowhere have I come across a
reference to him (by the notorious Sameosi Mokgethiwa of the WeekendPost) as “the
one who does not read”. After all why should it matter “what” the president does
not read, when it doesn’t matter “in what kind of vote” the BNF president does
not take part!
In one of the local papers recently, a Botswana Member of
Parliament (MP) who was an observer at the just ended Kenyan Presidential elections
was quoted as saying that there are things that Botswana can learn from the
Kenyan elections. I can’t remember what those things are, but I do remember
that USE OF TRANSPARENT BALLOT BOXES is not one of them. For some reason the MP
seems not to consider that Botswana should emulate Kenya in that aspect of the
election. I was not at the Kenyan elections but I saw the Kenyan transparent
ballot boxes on TV.
Unfortunately, the TV did not show whether the Kenyan ballot
boxes were transported, prior to counting, and in the company of no one else
but the Police, to a central counting “hall”. If they were, then our observer
MP rightly did not recommend that we learn this from Kenya, as this is standard
practice in Botswana.
Well, Sameosi Mokgethiwa has got himself one more object of
ridicule, if the 2014 general elections in Botswana will not satisfy both those
two conditions:
1. The use of Transparent ballot boxes
2. . The opening of ballot boxes and counting of
votes BEFORE MOVING THE BOXES.
Unless the above two conditions are met, I will not vote either,
in the 2014 General elections.
