02 Oct 2014

The BOCCIM president, Mr Lekwalo Mosienyane, has appealed to the government and the private media to address  what he sees as a standoff as the situation  affects business negatively.

Speaking in a Radio Botswana interview, Mr Motsilenyane said Botswana’s good character was created by and benefited all sectors of the economy.
 

For that reason, he said it was important for both parties to chart a productive way forward that was consistent with collective pursuit of growth and success of a national private sector and national competitiveness.

As the voice of business in Botswana, Mr Mosienyane said his organisation recognised the key role that the media played in a democratic society. Co-existence of an independent media and government, he said was a hall mark of a successful democracy.

Therefore, as leader of business, he implored government to embrace the private media as a necessary partner for investor confidence and doing business and to create the right environment for business.

He also urged the media to do as much as possible to ensure that in their style of reportage and choice of words they were sensitive to the implications of what was reported on business and the societal values.

The media, Mr Mosienyane said should ensure that they reported facts and minimised damage in their reportage, adding that in some cases the damage could not be reversed.

“The government and the media is the existence of sense and non-sense. If we are not going to tolerate each other, we will be forced into a marriage of inconvenience,” he said.

He said it was very important for every nation to guard against its character, adding that “we should never be seen to be assassinating our own character.

The character of the nation benefits every Motswana- equally. In his opinion, Mr Mosienyane said the government that would rise to every skirmish that was reported on might find itself unfortunately creating the David and Goliath situation.

The government that could keep quiet and observe, and do what its mandate was, he said would actually get the sympathy of its people.

“But as you raise your hand, the media, no matter how lacking in integrity it may be, will get the sympathy of the people,” he added.

Therefore, to both the media and government, BOCCIM president advised that “in a situation like this, there could never be winners and losers.

We will bruise each other. At the end of the day, the media will have the last word. But, that last word government should know that it does not necessarily get to be of integrity.”

In most cases, Mr Mosienyane said government should not assume that the public believed everything that they consumed from the media. Even the media, he said did not believe that everything that they published or broadcasted was believed by their listeners and their readers.

“Let us remember that Botswana belongs to all of us Batswana. Let’s put Botswana first. And us as business people you put us in a tight corner, because whatever you say about Botswana or the President impacts negatively to the business environment,” he added. Ends