The politics of exclusion in Botswana: A creation of the independence constitutional talks

Abstract

This article analyses the development of a political system in Botswanawith a focus on the constitutional talks leading to the country’sindependence. It examines the constitutional negotiations and arguesthat the manner in which they were conducted, and the setting inwhich there was no nationalist movement, political party or civilsociety representation gave birth to a political system of exclusionwhere political power and access to it are limited to a few people. Thearticle argues that the relations between the executive and parliament,questions of accountability, elections and voting, and the relationsbetween the government and the civil society have also been shapedor predetermined by the undemocratic circumstances under which theBotswana constitution was formed. In post-independence Botswana, asmuch as there are consultations with the people on a number of issues ofnational concern, such consultations are a mere formality as they fail toreflect and represent the voices of some key sections of the society (likeminorities, civil society, youth, women, labour movement, corporatesector and the media) as should be the case in a democracy.