There is an unprecedented number of academics
vying for a parliamentary seat in this year’s general election. While the
general feeling is that the academics are opportunists positioning themselves
for a possible takeover of power by their party so that they loot public
resources, they aver that theirs is a form of national service and nothing
else.
In terms of income and allowances, a Member of
Parliament in Botswana earns about P20,000 per month while a junior lecturer
gets not less than P25,000.00. Besides, lecturers do consultancy work for
government and other organisations including international ones and this adds
to their already hefty salary.
While the MP’s salary is increased at the behest
of government, the academic can work his way up to professorship and thereby
earn more than P40,000.00 monthly. In terms of the University of Botswana
regulations, a lecturer is entitled to a five-year leave which is renewable.
This means that upon winning the election, the
academic can serve his community for five years after which time he or she may
decide whether to resign from teaching and continue with his or her political
role as an MP or rejoin the university. There is no doubt that, even then, the
salary cut during his or her leave period is huge. Elmon Tafa, a Botswana
National Front (BNF) veteran politician, is a senior lecturer at the UB.
Despite not contesting this year’s general election, he has done so before.
Asked why he wanted to go to parliament even then when the income disparities
between threat of a lecturer and an MP was so huge, he said, “It is not about
money.
The bait is to effect change in society,” said
Tafa in an interview. From that viewpoint, the sacrifice is justified, he said.
BCP parliamentary candidate for Selebi Phikwe, who teaches at the UB is of the
view that, because politics is a calling, the plight of the people must come
first. “Look, Nelson Mandela was a successful lawyer running a law firm. He could
have watched from a distance as the Blacks suffered from the apartheid laws
while he lived a good life. Despite the income difference.
I want to
make a meaningful contribution to the development of our democracy,” said the
BCP Youth League president. Challenged on whether it was all about power, he
answered in the affirmative. “Yes, we want to win the election.
We want power to rule Botswana and improve the
lives of the people,” he said. “I do not know how much MPs earn and I do not
care. I will find out when I get to parliament after the election,” said the
BCP candidate for Bobirwa Taulo Lucas when asked to reason the huge salary cut
he is prepared to endure.
According
to him, it is all about service to humanity. “We are not happy with economic
distribution in this country where you have part of society obscenely rich
while the other part is desperately poor. Those who see politics as a reward
are distorting it,” declared the BCP spokesman adding that if money were the
driving force, he would keep his job and not go on leave. “Admittedly, it is a
huge sacrifice that however, should be made,” concluded Lucas.
0 Komentar untuk "POLITICS ON THE WAY OF ACADEMICS"