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Botswana: Mixed Reactions to Power Transition
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Mmegi/The Reporter (Gaborone)
4 April 2008
Posted to the web 7 April 2008
Bame Piet
Gaborone
The main opposition, the Botswana National Front (BNF) has dismissed Tuesday's power transition because it is goes against the idea of giving the people a chance to elect the country's president.
"The event was of no significance to us because it goes against our stance on automatic succession. We are totally against it. We want direct election of the president," BNF spokesperson Moeti Mohwasa said yesterday.
He added that the new cabinet does not mean much to the BNF since it has the same people Khama has been working with. Mohwasa accused the new president of failing to coordinate government projects during the 10 years when he was assigned the supervisory role as vice president. "Nothing has changed. New cabinet, re-deployments in the civil service and the departure of Mogae mean nothing. Policies remain the same," he said.
Mohwasa was not impressed that Khama spoke little on the provision of accommodation, which is a main concern to Batswana. However, he said the BNF believe Khama should be given a chance to prove himself. He urged the new president to start educating the people about women's rights and make laws that promote gender equality. He suggested that Khama should leave a legacy by approving the funding of political parties.
Gaborone Central MP, Dumelang Saleshando of the Botswana Congress Party (BCP) concurs with Mohwasa that Khama deserves a chance to prove himself. He said that they are going to give him 100 days to sell himself to Batswana as a good president.
He commended the new president for his inauguration speech saying he has touched on relevant issues and challenges. But he wondered whether he had any new strategies. He lamented that cabinet committees have long been in existence but project implementation remains a problem in government.
Saleshando was surprised that ever since he came into the limelight as vice president, Khama had not spoken much on HIV/AIDS. He wondered whether he does not see it as a major challenge facing the nation. "If it is his stance then it is unfortunate," he said.
The MP was skeptical whether the president will be committed to citizen empowerment. He is concerned by Khama's advice during his inauguration that Batswana must work hard, change their mindset and stop their belief in entitlement. "We wonder what he is going to do to pursue citizen empowerment. There is a great imbalance in that pronouncement," Saleshando cautioned.
He faulted Khama's call for discipline in the country. He said there is a distinction between military and political discipline. He said military discipline is about people taking and obeying orders while the other does not involve command and obedience. He likened the appointment of the cabinet and re-deployment of civil servants as another way of putting in place people who are loyal and ready to take instructions without question.
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"There are many people outside the BDF who are qualified to head the Department of Intelligence Services but he chose Isaac Kgosi because he knew he would be loyal to him. Even the cabinet was appointed to centralise all the power in personal friends and military confidantes," he noted. The legislator expressed disappointment with some 'silent' MPs appointed to the cabinet.
Gender activist Ntombi Setshwaelo said she is disappointed by the sacking of two women from cabinet, saying this is a serious setback to the struggle for equality. Even the civil service, she said, has few women in decision-making positions. She added that Khama's inauguration speech did not have enough on gender and domestic violence that is fast becoming a serious concern in the country.
Setshwaelo said that government has signed many international treaties on the rights of women and that it is time they are incorporated into domestic law. She called on women to speak freely about any actions they feel are meant to belittle them.
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