01 Aug 2021

Batswana have been urged to accord President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi the respect and decorum he deserves. 

Minister for Presidential Affairs, Governance and Public Administration, Mr Kabo Morwaeng made the appeal when delivering a statement in Parliament on Friday. 

He said some people abused their freedom of speech with impunity, using vulgar or offensive language to address or speak about leaders, particularly the head of state. 

He noted a growing trend of some members of society habitually uttering disrespectful and disparaging remarks about the President. 

Such despicable acts, Mr Morwaeng said, were foreign to Setswana culture, but they seemed to easily find their way into local media, especially social media. 

“We need to be mindful of the fact that holding a different view or opinion on any particular matter does not, in any way, give someone the right to be disrespectful.  In this regard, anyone who holds different political views from those of His Excellency the President or his administration should know that, although they have a democratic right to express their views, they do not have the right to insult or disrespect him. This is an undisputable fact,” he stated. 

Consequently, Mr Morwaeng appealed to all political leaders to encourage their supporters or followers to respect leaders, particularly the Head of State. 

He said there appeared to be a wrong notion that for one to gain political prominence, they had to be notorious for using vulgar or insulting language. 

Mr Morwaeng pleaded with MPs to speak to their constituents to equally respect traditional, faith-based organisations and community leaders as well as teachers, members of the civil society, trade unions and any member of society who had followers or served as role models to others. 

He further appealed to Batswana to introspect if they were playing their rightful roles in moulding other members of society to uphold cultural mores. 

“Are we all acting responsibly in building our nation? What legacy are we likely to bequeath future generations? Would the founding fathers of our nation be happy to see the direction the country is taking?” he asked. 

He further called on perpetrators to think about the impact of what they said about the President and regretted that the Head of State was continually verbally abused and disrespected. 

Mr Morwaeng said there might be a need to invoke the laws to take measures against those who violated or disrespected the Head of State. 

As such, he reminded Parliament about statutory provisions that protected the integrity of the Office of the President, but observed that the President and government had been slow to enforce the law. 

“Nevertheless, if such unpalatable conduct persists, we may have to re-consider and enforce the law to ensure protection of the integrity of the Presidency. 

Similarly, Standing Order 23.2 protects the integrity of His Excellency the President,” he stressed. 

For their part, some legislators wanted to know the premise from which the minister was coming from. 

Nonetheless, they acknowledged that Batswana across political lines had the habit of using uncouth language against each other, regardless of whom they were addressing. 

Therefore, they called upon each individual to take responsibility of their actions, especially political leaders, whom they said were educated enough to know better. Ends