14 April 2008
opinion
Gaborone — The appointment of our new president was thought to be a nationwide celebration but it has been shadowed by senseless criticism by bitter veterans or adults creating what I describe as a 'War Within'.
Time has come for bitter individuals to surrender their guns to our newly appointed president, Li Gen Ian Khama. This is from the fact that two weeks since his inauguration, Khama has not been received with warm hands by certain bitter individuals or failures who call themselves veterans. This comes from what we have witnessed which is that in every newspaper you flip through its guns are clattering towards Khama.
I personally think most of the people fueling all this are adults bitter maybe because they were not appointed to certain areas within Khama's cabinet. It is time Batswana taste change and learn to accept it. If we can ask what foul play Khama has committed no one will give a valid reason. We are just saying that Khama is turning the country into a military state. How should we expect Khama to have a smooth ride if at all it begins with a rough ride? These are small things that are going to affect him if he is not strong despite him having good ambitions or vision for our country. There is no problem with appointing these people because some of them have been there for a while like the Vice President, Lit Gen Merafhe and we never complained then. It just comes now because some people are bitter.
I strongly oppose those against the appointment of Merafhe to the vice presidency because he has done more than people who are injecting all this bitterness into the youth. Today Botswana carries a very good image and enjoys good relations with the international community. It is Merafhe who sweat for this country to achieve that. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and international Cooperation under Merafhe has performed to its maximum and there is no single ministry we can compare it to.
Why did we not complain then? Today the international community is watching how we are throwing stones to our new president and this is one thing through which Botswana is going to loose its dignity.
Batswana are afraid of change but I think it is time we ride with him to build our own country. There is no gain in all this negativity we have. We talk of youthful ex-ministers like Botsalo Ntuane as if they have brought any change in areas they served but there is nothing we can show or prove that they have served to their maximum. I do not say they did not perform their duties, it was not enough and satisfactory. It is time we make sense; do we think that Khama will throw in someone who is excellent in his/her duties out?
As for the ministers who were thrown out, I do not think we need an explanation why such individuals were thrown out. The explanation we need is in our eyes, let us asses the areas they have served in, we find that such people belong to ministries which have been underperforming and s such slowing our country's development.
If given time this issue would last for ages so it is time we stay positive and join Khama's leadership in developing Botswana. As for bagolo who are firing at one of your own, you are doing no good to your own country and it shows you have lost it. A nation which is bitter will never succeed.
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