The National Amalgamated Local, Central Government and Parastatal Manual Workers’ Union has launched a blistering attack on President Duma Boko and the governing Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC). The Union accuses Boko’s administration of intolerance, arrogance and a failure to engage democratic institutions.
The Union has released a publication titled A Clarion Crying Voice: UDC Government Failures, in which they argue that the new administration has betrayed the spirit of inclusive governance that propelled it to power in the 2024 elections.
The document claims the government has developed a leadership style characterised by hostility toward critics and the monopolisation of decision-making power.
‘The UDC government has become intolerant, arrogant and less inclusive of other critical democratic voices,’ the union states in the opening chapter of the report.
According to the union, the leadership style of the president is central to what it describes as deteriorating governance standards. The document alleges that Boko operates with an excessive sense of intellectual superiority and little willingness to accept criticism.
‘.we have continuously evidenced that this country is ruled by an angry president,’ the report states.
‘He inaptly believes that he is the most intelligent person to ever grace Botswana, so much that he can even advise himself.’ The union further claims that the president regularly dismisses input from key democratic actors including the media, business community, legislators and students.
‘He derides all the custodians of democracy; the media, Business Botswana, the legislators, the opposition parties and the tertiary students and by insinuation his party comrades in parliament and grade all as of limited intellectual pedigree,’ the report says.
The publication also criticizes the government’s approach to national decision-making, arguing that the president has failed to convene broad consultations on major crises facing the country.
Among the issues cited are rising gender-based violence, youth unemployment and economic contraction linked to declining diamond revenues.
According to the union, these challenges require collective national dialogue rather than unilateral decisions from the executive.
‘We remain shocked that under such catastrophic situations, the president remains a leader without other leaders,’ the document says.
The union goes further, warning that the current leadership approach risks eroding Botswana’s democratic traditions.
‘We are under typical African dictatorship where everything is controlled by the president except the climate,’ the publication states.
The Union also criticized what it described as opaque governance structures within the current administration. The report argues that the UDC government entered office promising transparency, participatory democracy and inclusive governance but has not lived up to those commitments. ‘It should be noted that the UDC government entered governance decreeing moral superiority, progressive governance, intellectual rigour, inclusivity, participatory democracy and consultative governance,’ the document states.
However, the union contends that the reality of governance has fallen far short of those ideals.
The report also highlights economic pressures facing the country, including high youth unemployment and a struggling economy.
According to figures cited in the document, youth unemployment reached about 43.86 percent in 2024, while the economy contracted for several consecutive quarters due to declining global demand for natural diamonds.
The union argues that such problems require inclusive policy dialogue involving multiple stakeholders.
‘All the above national pains could have warranted a progressive president to have called a democracy stakeholder meeting for idea mining and sharing,’ the report says.
To address the perceived governance failures, the union proposes the establishment of a presidential advisory think tank composed of independent experts.
The body, described in the report as a ‘laboratory of ideas,’ would provide research-based advice to guide government policy.
‘This entails the creation of a laboratory of ideas to foster thought leadership,’ the report explains.
The union says such an institution could help restore trust in leadership and improve policy formulation.
The report also calls for the adoption of what it describes as a ‘leadership value-based moral index’ to ensure ethical governance and accountability among those in positions of power.
Despite its harsh criticism, the union frames its intervention as a patriotic contribution to national debate rather than an attack on the government.
‘This clarion call therefore endeavors to amplify and operationalize critical postures of policy intents which can transform Botswana,’ the document states.