7 September 2007
editorial
Gaborone — Over the past weekend the nation celebrated the Vision 2016 awareness month which culminated in grand festivities held in Khakhea. These awareness events are important as they serve as a remainder to all of us that the vision race is on.
This year's event came a year after the mid-point of the race that started about 11 years ago. There is no better time to pause and look at the distance that has been covered than this point. Looking at the ground that has been covered over the past 11 years we should be able to gauge how much ground can be covered in the coming nine months.
It was never going to be easy to inculcate the vision and to ensure that the vision is imbibed and owned by the public.
At a time when Batswana were subjected to a lot of changes, both socially and economically. The Western type of development has brought with it change in socio-economic,psychological and political outlook. Without a moral compass that defines who a Motswana is in order to preserve the social fabric that makes a Motswana what he is. The idea is never to resist positive change but merely to ensure that Batswana do not lose their soul while in the rat race.
Principles such as honesty, botho, compassion, therisanyo, ipelegeng and many others should not be lost even when we develop, in fact they make our development more meaningful.
While there are some reassuring signs that the vision dream is well within reach we should be vigilant that we do not rest on our laurels. There is very strong evidence that there is a cancer that is eroding our social fabric and unless we stem the tide we would all be swept over. Poverty, and violent crime are a spike waiting to undo all the good things that we have done.
There is a report that thugs who have organized themselves into a gang go around terrorizing people at entertainment centres where they do not only rob them of their belongings but hurt and even kill their victims. What is this turning into? People are not free in their own houses where robbers can forcefully barge in any time of the day. There are not free in the streets and not even at entertainment centres.
Vision 2016 reveberates with freedom but where is freedom when people sleep in fear, cannot walk freely in the streets nor can they rest and unwind at bars and clubs. Our daughters and women are not safe anymore. Just last week 35 women were raped and these are just reported cases.
This should not deter us to reach our vision but is a major obstacle on the way. Unless we reclaim our streets from thugs and gangs we would get to 2016 unfree and maimed.
Be the first to Write a Comment!
Copyright © 2007 Mmegi/The Reporter. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
