THE FALLACY OF MASISI

Dr Patrick Molutsi

This piece focus on the fallacy  of the so called “Reset agenda”. Last week Mokgweetsi Masisi addressed the Nation on what he called ‘Reset’ and his ‘Transformation’ agenda. According to the President the decision to reset came from two retreats which they had earlier one with the Cabinet and Senior Public Servants and the other later with BDP backbench members of Parliament.   Because H.E said the Reset agenda came from the BDP,  I am assuming that  he had also been consulting with the councillors and other BDP structures.   If he didn’t, there lays the first problem of lack of internal party democracy.   We cannot expect us as the nation to be consulted as the non-BDP members and as the nation if the BDP which is closest to his responsibility was not fully consulted.  

Anyway H. E says the ‘Reset’ comes from the BDP ‘s introspection and as a result of that introspection they have decided to run or govern the country following H.E’s own  ‘transformation agenda’. I must say I for one I am yet to see and understand this much talked about ‘transformation  agenda’.  I know there is some task force but like the one on COVID -19 I am yet to see any serious advise that they are offering.  I only hear the latter blaming people for having spread COVID for travelling to their homes during Xmas and New Year holidays. Isn’t it funny that they asked for money from us and government which was given, they asked for the legal instrument – the State of Emergency (SOE) and this too they were given,  they developed control tools – travel permits , etc, and yet when the disease spread they blame us.  Until our leaders learn to accept their failures, they will never be accountable and apologise  to us for their failures/mistakes.

Look at the Reset, it is on based  the false allegations of a ‘failed” public service.  The proponents of Reset forget that constitutionally, the supervisor of the public service is the Executive, the Cabinet. So if the public service  has failed  it is the Cabinet which has failed. Anyway, in all fairness to H.E the President, he did concede that for the past thirty years,  I would say, the past fifty seven years, the BDP government has failed this nation.  H.E correctly observed that the development of Botswana has bypassed the citizens hence a malnourished middle class and intolerable  levels of poverty and inequality in the country today.  It is exactly at this point, that one begins to see the fallacy of the Reset ideology.  It is yet another bluff like transform, EPR,  diversification, etc etc.

How do you cause so much damage and destruction and then turn around and say you have solutions to solve the endemic decades-long problems?

Let me offer free advise to H.E. I do this, knowing that he has a tendency to ignore advise. After recent reshuffle of Cabinet and transfer of senior public officers, I wrote cautioning him against these frequent transfer of personnel because it is harmful to development  of the country,   he ignored this advise and transferred and promoted more than 30 senior officers. Be it as it may, my advise is:

1. Please note that ,”Mabele a anyesitse matlale otlhe”. You need to recognize that your BDP  may not necessarily be holding the best brains in this country.

2. Please note that some of your advisers are bootlickers  and you choose them because they are yesmen and women without requisite competencies.  They want to tell you what you prefer to hear not what is good for the country.

3.  In the spirit if democracy, kindly  reach out to the whole nation and consult if you want to reset, and start by admitting your failures without putting the blame on civil servants.

4. Let me give you an example of what a Reset should entail. Please stop going around the Country giving one two people diphoko and diphelefu as gifts from you and your friends. Instead use government resources to build insemination farms around the country similar to bull camps. Ask smallstock farmers to take their female sheep and goats there for artificial or even physical insemination/ mating.  Look at the outcomes:

1. More farmers will be covered than one photo scheme;

2. Improvement  of smallstock will be quicker.

3. More jobs will be created in the ram/he-goats camps.

4.Vaccination and care programme will be improved and jobs created.