The MP for Lobatse, Nehemiah Modubule has appealed to President Ian Khama to strike out the 'D' for Democracy because he has shown no commitment towards it.

Responding to the State of the Nation Address by Khama, Modubule said yesterday that the President has displayed disregard for democracy in his leadership style. He cited what he called examples of Khama's undemocratic style.

He said Khama has divided the ruling party, denied Botsalo Ntuane the right to stand for elections in Nata/Gweta; barred Gomolemo Motswaledi from standing for elections in Serowe North on grounds that the seat was reserved for the Khama family; and that the ruling party does not allow its members to debate freely in Parliament.

Modubule said these actions confirm that Khama knows nothing about democracy hence he should strike one 'D' from his list of five, to leave only Dignity, Development, Discipline and Delivery. He said that it is just a matter of time before the ruling party splits because of intolerance that is rife under Khama.

He accused the President of recently saying something to the effect that constituencies that vote for the opposition would not get developments. "This is worrying, coming from the head of state. It is bad for our democracy. He should retract the statement," Modubule charged.

The Lobatse MP urged the President to explain the extra-judicial killings by state security agents. He said that the President should come clean and explain what is happening or his silence will be treated as conspiracy.

"We need a thorough explanation from His Excellency or his silence would mean he knows what is happening. Batswana are not a docile society and if these things continue they will defend themselves," he said.

The MP accused the President of imposing military discipline on civilians. He lamented that the constitution of the country gives all powers to the President, placing him even above the people who elected him. He criticised the section of the constitution that gives the President powers to dissolve Parliament whenever he feels like it.

He called for all the powers of the state to be returned to Parliament as a matter of urgency. Modubule is the first independent MP in Botswana. He said that the date of elections should be fixed in the constitution to avoid situations where thousands of people are denied their right to vote, like it happened recently.

He said that the elections date was announced when the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) was not prepared. This resulted in election officials not voting and the election date coinciding with examinations.

Modubule dismissed the Ipelegeng programme as another desperate attempt by the ruling party to keep poor people busy instead of creating jobs for them. He said it is funny that the beneficiaries of the programme are paid P300 per month when MPs have rejected P320 per day as sitting allowance. He was surprised that the ruling party is boasting that there are many beneficiaries of the programme and that it intends to increase the number.

He called for a review of special election of MPs. State funding of political parties is another issue that needs government intervention and he urged Parliament to give powers to the IEC to monitor any funding from private companies. He said that if companies are allowed to directly fund parties, they could influence parliamentary debates.