19 Apr 2018

President Mr Mokgweetsi Masisi has told international scholars that he has been enthralled by Botswana’s political progress and good governance since the county attained self-governance from the British.

“Invariably if you have bad leadership you won’t get good governance anywhere in the world. In Botswana we have been blessed. We have generally good leadership. But we also have a good population, people who elect, select a good leadership and people who ensure they reproduce a good leadership and part of it might come from our own historical past. We had been socialised to look out for one another, we grew up surrounded by white minority racist regimes and we had to fend for one another,” he said. Mr Masisi was responding to questions from scholars after delivering a lecture at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in London on April 18.

Quizzed on how to explain the secret behind Botswana’s good governance record, Mr Masisi said despite the political situation that unfolded in Southern Africa between the 1950s and 1980, “Batswana remained a nation. Part of the need for a new dispensation and new leadership is to galvanise the values and put them together.

Part of my challenge and those in the leadership across the political divide is to ensure that the sovereignty, the citizenship and the concept of patriotism remains strong and solid, Botswana is Botswana and we are extremely proud of it,” he noted.Explaining Botswana’s participatory democracy President Masisi said it operated within the frameworks of a democratic constitution which enshrines freedom of speech, freedom of association and worship and afforded all citizen equal rights.

“The political situation in Southern Africa prompted the founding president of Botswana Sir Seretse Khama together with likeminded statesmen like Julius Nyerere and Zambia’s founding President Kenneth Kaunda later joined by other leaders to establish a political grouping known as the Frontline States. The main preoccupation was to liberate Southern Africa from colonial domination and oppression and establish independent nation,” he said.

President Masisi outlined the story of Botswana political background and highlighted that election observers have always pronounced the elections in Botswana as credible, free and fair though some critics consider the uninterrupted rule by one party as detraction from a true democracy.

“This demonstrates that the party that I lead the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) has earned enduring trust and confidence of electorates for it to be returned to power at each general election,” he said.

In his welcome address Director General of IISS Dr John Chipman said Botswana has regularly been cited as one of the best governed and least corrupt country in Africa.

“It hosts the SADC secretariat and has played a significant role in the promotion of global issues such as respect for human rights, democracy and rule of law. It has often taken brave and principled stances on regional conflict including in particular the terrible tragedy of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The leaders of Botswana have been alert to the need to craft a discreet diplomatic approach to regional questions,” he explained.

Dr Chipman told Mr Masisi that Botswana shall be tackling big domestic issues such as youth unemployment while it continues to engage on the vital diplomatic issues of the day in SADC and beyond.

The IISS lecture was started by the Oppenheimer family to honour an African leader from the world of politics, business or strategy and to provide a platform for an African perspective on matters of international security, economic development and conflict resolution. Over the years the institution has hosted numerous presidents and prime ministers and heard views from all corners of Africa. ENDS