Botswana Congress Party (BCP) publicity secretary Dumelang Salesahndo has fired a salvo at President Ian Khama for trying to run the country like the army.

Speaking in an interview in Gaborone yesterday, Saleshando described Khama - a former Botswana Defence Force (BDF) commander - as an "autocrat who likes to take unilateral decisions".

The Gaborone Central legislator said Khama should open up, start consulting with stakeholders and listen to what people have to say.

"It is not like in the military barracks where the commander rules by decree. He wants to treat the country like one big military camp where he is the commander. He is not the commander of this country, he is the president," he said.

Saleshando said Khama is not a listening president. "He doesn't want to account. We do not know how he came up with a 70 or 30 percent liquor levy. In his 11 years as vice president, he never accounted to Parliament. He is a sacred cow, but he can't continue as a sacred cow when he is the president," the youthful legislator said.

"His style of operation is to do things unilaterally and not involve other institutions. Since 1966 there have been independence celebrations in Gaborone, but Khama unilaterally cancelled them this year. Even as Gaborone MPs, we were not consulted," he said.

Saleshando does not foresee Khama changing his leadership style. He said Khama was given the leeway by former president Festus Mogae to do as he wished.

"It is a military way of operation," he charged.

The BCP legislator expressed fear that Khama is still going to come up with some tough policies.

He said this could be reflected in the manner in which Khama cancelled Tirelo Sechaba (TS) when he was still the VP. He said this was a unilateral decision.

The MP said even other initiatives that Khama has come up with since he became president, have financial implications. He said Parliament has not allocated a budget for constituency football tournaments that Khama has instituted.

The MP was speaking in the wake of a case in which Kgalagadi Breweries Limited (KBL) has taken government to court, challenging Khama's decision to impose a 30 percent levy on alcohol.

But the levy could not be implemented until the application by Kgalagadi Breweries has been heard. Initially Khama had proposed 70 percent, which he said he would increase if people continued to drink excessively.

Since he took over as the president in April, Khama has declared war on alcohol.

But Saleshando feels that Khama is not motivated by instances of alcohol abuse.

"He is taking on the industry. He is desperate to kill the industry," he said.

He said government is not applying its mind fairly on the issue. "They are trying to kill the industry in order to please Khama," he charged.

Saleshando does not believe in Khama's suggestion that if you have less money you would not abuse alcohol. "It doesn't happen anywhere," he said.

He said Khama is targeting the wrong group when it comes to alcohol abuse. In his view, the minority who are abusing alcohol, are being used as a scapegoat to kill the industry.

He said the people who consume KBL products do not spend the whole day drinking. Saleshando feels that people who abuse alcohol are the ones who are into traditional brew, adding that they start drinking in the morning.

He said Khama should not impose his personal lifestyle on the nation. "Being a president does not mean that you have to impose your personal lifestyle on people. Why not be like me, this is what he is implying," said Saleshando.

To him, what is more disturbing is that the president did not consult elected representatives like MPs. Saleshando said during the last parliamentary session, the Minister of Trade and Industry assured him that he would present a statutory instrument on the liquor levy in parliament. To his dismay, this was never done.

Although he supports Kgalagadi Brewery's action of taking government to court the MP said it is not everyone who could afford judicial intervention. "For example small traders cannot take the government to court."

He said Kgalagadi Breweries had presented alternatives but the government does not want to listen. Saleshando said Khama is also forgetting that government is an investor in Sechaba, Kgalagadi Breweries' holding company.

He feels that it is good to challenge Khama's decisions in court. He regards it as a good lesson for both nation and Khama to know that his decisions can be challenged in court.

He said the fact that people can resort to court against the government shows that they have confidence in the judicial system. "I hope Batswana will work hard to see that their independence is not compromised."