13 Nov 2016

GABORONE - Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) has expressed regret that former Botswana envoy and deputy police commissioner, Mr Kennedy Kapinga “in his newfound space of political involvement would opt for outright untruth and slandering scheme to endear himself on his masters at the political party he has chosen to launch his ambition for political activism.”
A press release from BDP says Mr Kapinga seems to forget that he epitomises the political tolerance, openness and ambience of government of Botswana and indeed the BDP to its nationals at large.
“Mr Kapinga is a constant reminder that one needs not to be a member of the ruling party to be accepted in the high echelons of government,” says the release.
It says while it has become a common course for every pretender willing to attract media spotlight to their campaign to speak ill of the President, it is surprising for a man of Mr Kapinga’s training and service experience to cast aspersions on the freedoms enshrined in the constitution and enjoyed by all without indicating specific instances where such freedoms may have been curtailed.
“While such cheap rhetoric may endear him to his party faithful it sure will not earn him any votes from Batswana who are alert of the civil liberties enjoyed here in safe custody of the BDP government,” says the release.
It also adds that “for a man with full knowledge and experience of the operation of state security apparatus to allege that an individual could bear total influence in the policy and implementation of security procedures is to cast doubt on systems he helped to create and/or sustain and indeed on his former colleagues on service.”
Botswana Democratic Party, as per the release, has advised Mr Kapinga that it is not necessary as he puts on his new political gown to disown his previous life and in the process risk embarrassing himself.
“The poor spirited attempt at tarnishing President Lt Gen. Dr Seretse Khama Ian Khama’s integrity and assertion that the President lives in his own fear is an old song that has been parroted by opposition politicians over time and which has been rejected by the voters.”
Where he avers to his professional training as a lawyer and fails to bring forth legal arguments against implementation of the constitutional declarations of prohibited immigrants could be an indictment on Mr Kapinga’s appreciation of the law or perhaps unjust political whimpering, the release says.
Furthermore, at his public unveiling, the release says Mr Kapinga went on to change the legality of judicial appointments to the High Court bench in a move that exposed lack of touch on a matter that has been trolled before the courts and declared by the court that is much more competent with the law.
“We urge Mr Kapinga to consider his stature and to decide whether he wishes to obliterate it for political posture so cheaply,” says the release.  
This, as per the release, presents a timely moment to draw the mind of Mr Kapinga to the fact that “we are still in the Republic of Botswana who trains her citizens free of cost in most disciplines, accords them an opportunity to any high rank of service that they earn through hard work and affords them an opportunity to serve the country to the best of their abilities without bias to political affiliation as heard of in other parts of the world.”
The same courtesy, the release says the BDP government has accorded Mr Kapinga. The party, therefore, advises Mr Kapinga to contrast Botswana governance from that of many others and to understand why the country consistently receives international accolades for good governance.
“We remain a capable and shining example of a well-functioning democracy in Africa and the world. President Khama has successfully ensured that this legacy continues into the future,” adds the release. Ends