Afro-civil liberties in botswana (original) (raw)

Abstract

As pointed out in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack on the United States, civil liberties ordinarily taken for granted in a democracy may be called into question when extraordinary events place them in conflict with other important values, such as security (see also . In a more recent example, citizens in several democracies have been contending with government restrictions on free movement and assembly prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Botswana, sub-Saharan Africa's longest-running multiparty democracy, has so far been spared such stress tests of its commitment to democratic ideals. But popular satisfaction with the way democracy is working has been declining steadily over the past decade, from 83% in 2008 to 57% in 2019. And media freedom was widely considered under attack during the Ian Khama presidency (2008)(2009)(2010)(2011)(2012)(2013)(2014)(2015)(2016)(2017)(2018). Citing arrests of investigative journalists and a large-scale cyber-attack on a news website, the World Press Freedom Index demoted Botswana by eight places between 2013 and 2018 before moving it back up four spots to No. 44 in 2019, third in Africa after Ghana and South Africa (Reporters Without Borders, 2019). How do Batswana see their civil liberties? And how willing would they be to relinquish certain freedoms if their security were under threat? According to the latest Afrobarometer survey, most Batswana feel free to speak, act, and vote, even though the proportions who say they are free to say what they think and join any political organization of their choice have declined over the past decade. Most also see their news media as at least "somewhat" free, and support the media's role as a watchdog on government. Batswana are more divided when it comes to possible trade-offs between civil liberties and security, with substantial proportions endorsing restrictions on free movement and religious speech to protect public safety. Afrobarometer is a pan-African, nonpartisan survey research network that provides reliable data on African experiences and evaluations of democracy, governance, and quality of life. Seven rounds of surveys were completed in up to 38 countries between 1999 and 2018, and Round 8 surveys are currently underway. Afrobarometer conducts face-to-face interviews in the language of the respondent's choice. The Afrobarometer national partner in Botswana, Star Awards Ltd., interviewed a nationally representative, random, stratified probability sample of 1,200 adult Batswana in July-August 2019. A sample of this size yields country-level results with a margin of error of +/-3

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References (7)

  1. Conroy-Krutz, J., & Sanny, J. A.-N. (2019). How free is too free? Across Africa, media freedom is on the defensive. Afrobarometer Policy Paper No. 56.
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  5. Kabelo Moseki is a senior lecturer in the Department of Statistics at the University of Botswana and a research associate with Star Awards. Email: mosekikk@mopipi.ub.bw. Refilwe Sinkamba is a senior lecturer in the Department of Social Work at the University of Botswana and a research associate with Star Awards. Email: refilwe.sinkamba@mopipi.ub.bw.
  6. Sonia Gaobolae is a temporary teaching assistant in the Department of Political and Administrative Studies at the University of Botswana and an administrative assistant for Star Awards. Mogopodi H. Lekorwe is an associate professor in the Department of Political and Administrative Studies at the University of Botswana and national Investigator for Afrobarometer in Botswana.
  7. Afrobarometer, a nonprofit corporation with headquarters in Ghana, is a pan-African, nonpartisan survey research network. Regional coordination of national partners in about 35 countries is provided by the Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation (IJR) in South Africa, and the Institute for Development Studies (IDS) at the University of Nairobi in Kenya. Michigan State University (MSU) and the University of Cape Town (UCT) provide technical support to the network. Financial support for Afrobarometer Round 8 has been provided by Sweden via the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, the Open Society Foundations, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) via the U.S. Institute of Peace. Donations help the Afrobarometer Project give voice to African citizens. Please consider making a contribution (at www.afrobarometer.org) or contact Bruno van Dyk (bruno.v.dyk@afrobarometer.org) to discuss institutional funding. For more information, please visit www.afrobarometer.org. /Afrobarometer @Afrobarometer Afrobarometer Dispatch No. 350 | 25 March 2020