Masisi and the many rivers to cross
As the curtain slowly closes on an era of tyranny and ignorance, another era is slowly taking shape; the era of Masisi. It is surely an era of mixed emotions if not outright uncertainty.
In the event that ‘magic’ happens and indeed Masisi succeeds President Khama, the fear on everybody is Masisi going on to be nothing more than an extension of the current regime. The difference would be the same; jumping from the frying pan in to the fire. I am of the strong view that Masisi would have to walk a mile and a half to convince the nation that he is exactly what the doctor ordered to ‘restore’ sanity to the country.
Personally, I have doubts. I strongly subscribe to the view that Masisi owes his presidency to chance, convenience and sheer luck. He has never proven to be worthy a penny to bet on either his intellect or policies. As far as I am concerned, Masisi has too many rivers to cross before he thinks he can get us over the Red Sea.
Once a Stooge, Always a Stooge
One of the few things Masisi has demonstrated exceptional talent on, is being a stooge. He has in the past failed beyond any remote possibility of doubt to be his own man. If any of you are of the view that I am being malicious, I challenge you to come forward and share with us at least what Masisi stands for.
Before we even confuse basic algebra to be advanced calculus, let it not escape us that Masisi has numerously failed to distinguish himself as a man of any great imagination. Be it in his parliamentary debates or other topical issues, Masisi has always allowed intellect to desert him, leaving behind, nothing but an ocean of arrogance -unqualified arrogance that is.
If I am to mention numerous failed projects under his guidance, then that would surely be malice. I take it that by mentioning his defunct flagship programme; backyard gardening, I would be over-qualifying the extent of the problem at hand. I stood unequivocally opposed to the ‘President-from-South’ thesis advanced by Masisi supporters because I found it nauseating to say the least.
The thesis is not only divisive and medieval, but most importantly, it is intellectually flawed. It is this type of overly simplistic thinking that brought us this political mess we are currently swimming if not drowning in. I believe we need a President with balls of steel to steer us from the mess that Khama and his sycophants drove this country into.
It is common cause that his appointment to Vice President was not as result of distinguished merit, but rather demerits. Besides giving a memorable kgotla lecture on the merits of bolope, Masisi has so far failed to prove his political worth. Until Masisi rises above bolope (sycophancy) and acknowledges that deeds speak louder than words, he would forever remain a stooge.
The Curry-pot
Masisi should heed Malcom X’s caution when he says, “A man who stands for nothing will fall for anything.” Just like the many self-appointed, self-help gurus out there have cautioned Masisi against his personal proximity to Asian and Indian business cartels, I would also like to kindly repeat the warning. I guess, we do not have to look far to see how compromising such ‘undefined’ relationships can be.
President Zuma is a living example. He is now a tormented man. There is nothing wrong with business looking for an opportunity to flirt with him, that is just the nature of business. By nature, businesspeople would seek all possible avenues to exert influence on policy makers in order to shape policies to their favour. It is hence, morally incumbent on those in positions of power to ward off such flirtations; something that has over the decades, eluded African leadership.
As long as Masisi is not at liberty to share with us the nature of his relationship with these business cartels, the relationship will always be viewed with great suspicion. This suspicion is further increased by his newly-acquired expensive taste as symbolised by pomp and lavish ‘Camp Dubai’ lifestyle. It is not rocket science that businesspeople put their money where their mouth is.
By the look of things, Masisi is a helpless victim of the tantalising flavours in the curry-pot. Worrying but not surprising, is the fact that his arrogance is now reaching seismic proportions. May be to put it bluntly, it is reaching ‘Trump’ levels. At this critical juncture, it is safe to say Masisi still has many rivers to cross.
