Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) leader Duma Boko will not apologise to President Ian Khama for the ‘demon’ reference. His party the BNF has also said their leader will do no such thing.
This follows this week’s call by Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) Youth Wing Chairperson, Andy Boatile who demanded that the opposition leader publicly apologise to the State President.
In his response to the State of the Nation Address last week, Boko uttered an unflattering comparison of Khama to a demon. “As I have said before, our President is like a demon propitiated only by human sacrifice and suffering. He has brought nothing but huge disaster upon our country. As he staggers into his retirement, he will forever be haunted by the guttural cries of the many people whose lives he has wrecked, and the silent tears of the workers of this country whose livelihoods he brought into rack and ruin,” said Boko.
Boko would later withdraw the word ‘demon’ after a protest from ruling party legislators. But Boatile is unhappy with the utterance, labelling Boko’s remarks as “disappointing” and “appalling, especially coming from a legislator who dreams to someday occupy the same office whose occupant he has denigrated.”
“Even when politicians have taken a jab at each other on formal and informal platforms, we have never seen anyone stoop so low as to call a Head of State a demon. In this regard Boko has outdone himself in his track record of insults directed at all and sundry. Despite the understandable frustration of not winning the elections for the last 50 years, no leader of the opposition party has ever thrown such reckless labels at any leader,” charged Boatile.
Boko has however said he will not apologise as what he said was a description of what he feels about Khama. He said he would not find anything wrong with the ruling party cadres describing him in whatever manner they wish because it would be the way they see him.
Boko’s party, the Botswana National Front (BNF) also came in his defence, with the party’s Information and Publicity Secretary Justin Hunyepa saying he wondered what more the BDP wanted since Boko had withdrawn the word in Parliament. He instead challenged the youth leader to implore his party to help create jobs for young people like him.
APOLOGISE FOR WHAT: UDC leader Duma Boko says he owes nobody an apology
