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Africa: Botswana - Continent's Shining Star?
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New Era (Windhoek)
9 April 2008
Posted to the web 9 April 2008
John Ekongo
Windhoek
Botswana once again lived up to its reputation as one of the most stable democracies on the African continent when she displayed yet another smooth transfer of power.
The Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) has been in power in this developing country with a vibrant economy since 1966, and in its existence it has seen more than four occasions where power was handed over smoothly.
At the beginning of this month Seretse Khama Ian Khama became Botswana's fourth president, taking over from Festus Mogae in a smooth power handover.
They were preceded by Sir Ketumile Masile, who took over from Sir Seretse Khama, the late father of the new president.
Unlike all his predecessors, Khama has a military background, and so his Vice-President Retired Lieutenant General Mompati Merafhe.
It is this attribute that creates another first for this small southern African democracy.
The only other country in the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) in post-independence to have been under a president with military credentials was Mozambique under Samora Machel.
Senior Researcher of the Africa Situation Analysis Program at the acclaimed Pretoria-based think tank, the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), Chris Maroleng, thinks otherwise. He believes that there are some positives from the fact that he has a military background.
"This is a positive element - for administration, goal orientation, discipline aimed at the socio economic development of Botswana and its democracy," said Maroleng.
Maroleng is of the opinion that with Khama's credentials and personality, Botswana is likely to perform well and continue moving in the direction she has for the last 30 years.
"When you look at Ian Khama, there are some positive skills in his personality and traits as a politician with a military background. He has done well to engage elements in the issue of his success and he has shown himself to be an astute politician, to build Botswana's democracy. He has big boots to fill, and he is more likely to enhance the socio-economic and democratic movement in Botswana."
The big boots Maroleng refers to is the legacy left by his father, former President Sir Seretse Khama.
Similarly, this is a notion shared by Namibia's South African-based academic and political commentator, Joseph Diescho.
"Seretse Ian Khama will stick to the Botswana of old. His father established a proud culture of Setswana in the democracy of Botswana, so that will be his yardstick," reveals Diescho.
"What we can learn from this is that a voluntary stepping down process of any head of state or leadership is necessarily not wrong, nor will it render you invaluable - hardly the case," Diescho said.
The commentator maintains that in Africa, and especially in countries with a history of liberation movements, transition of power is a difficult thing to do "simply because of the politics of liberation".
In the meantime, Diescho says this trend contributes largely due to underdevelopment and stagnant economies.
"Change of mind and tactics usually means progress, and many of our leaders appear as if they are against progress unless it is their own at the expense of the masses. Namibia and any other countries that suffer from liberation hangover can learn a valuable lesson from this," said Diescho
Maroleng continues: "What Botswana has indicated to the rest of the continent is that the issue around transition and renewal are vital, for any model of democracy especially on the African continent."
More so that an individual is not larger than the country.
Ian Khama's rise to the seat of the presidency has been coming for some time. He was born in 1953 in the UK, where his father had married an English woman, Ruth Williams.
Khama schooled in the village of Serowe, in the central district, before proceeding to study in other countries including Zimbabwe, then Rhodesia, Swaziland, Switzerland and the UK where he graduated from the Sandhurst Military Academy.
Upon completion of his studies, he began a long and distinguished military career, which saw him rise through the ranks of the army to take up command.
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He later became the vice-president of the country.
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