28 March 2008
editorial
Gaborone — History will be made on Monday when President Festus Mogae hands over the reins of power to Lt. General Ian Khama. In a region where incumbent presidents and their cohorts unashamedly manipulate constitutions to extend their term in office, we have reason to be proud as Batswana that such undemocratic tendencies are a heresy we eschew.
For it is ingrained in us as a people that transfer of power ought to be orderly and smooth. This is as much to the credit of President Mogae as it is to the people of Botswana who have internalised democracy to the point where it now seeps through our public actions.While we still have questions about automatic succession, we are not unduly perturbed because by means of another of our traditions - consultation - we will exercise our minds and arrive at a solution without spilling so much as a drop of blood, or even thinking about it.
We as a newspaper wish to pay homage to Mogae for having led this nation well over the last 10 years, and for the many preceding years during which he served in various capacities as a public servant. He has set standards for others to emulate, for a more illustrious public servant than Mogae can hardly be found. Yes, we have had our differences with him and never failed in our duty to criticise the man when we thought his government was not doing enough to uplift the living standards of Batswana or going astray in any other manner.
It may appear pointless to tread the beaten track of his achievements in the area of HIV/AIDS, but it is not. Those who were around in the 1990s have the harrowing memory of the devastation and desolation visited upon our land by this unparalleled scourge; hardly a homestead, barely a family, not a community, was left unscathed.But once Mogae and his team decided to take the scourge head-on, the country was put on a new threshold of hope. Mogae began by publicly acknowledging that there was a problem, and then scoured the world for help. He proceeded to tackle the stigma that set HIV patients and their loved ones apart. In time, research centres - backed by reputable pharmaceutical companies, highly regarded foundations, and the goodwill of the world - were established in Botswana. More importantly, Anti-Retrovirals were provided to those who needed them. This is still an on-going war, but there is hope that with the weapon of behavioural change Mogae has never tired of preaching, victory is attainable.
Mogae also leaves many challenges behind. In this edition, we carry a supplement the object of which is to dispassionately look at the Mogae era. We hope you will find this helpful and enriching. Of course, the man's legacy can never be reduced to endless ink and miles of paper; it will become the subject of many other interrogations. Our supplement is just one of such efforts. Most importantly, the man inherited a working economy and a reasonably functioning democracy. He does not leave any of these in dire straits. Our wish and hope is that in-coming President Ian Khama will treasure this legacy and ensure that he improves on the gains that Mogae made. We look forward to welcoming the new President.
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