Botswana has won yet more praise. This week, the country was declared the most peaceful in the continent. Worldwide it was ranked above the United Kingdom, a country with a much more established economy and democratic system.

We think this is an achievement that Batswana and residents of this country should be proud of. This peace is a product of our collective effort at respecting our constitution and laws whose basic thrust is democracy and respect for human rights.

We, however, would like to urge our people to be even more vigilant in guarding against all elements that might seek to compromise this state of affairs. We have a responsibility to not just protect the current peace but to secure it. Peace cannot be enforced as many countries, especially in the Middle East have found out. The only way to secure peace is to empower citizens to have meaningful participation in the running of their country and its affairs.

In our country this means improving our democratic system. There are a number of impediments to the development of our democracy - among them an overly powerful presidency, the First Past the Post electoral system, the special nomination of councillors and MPs, the lack of state funding for political parties, a weak Parliament, the targeting of private media by the political establishment to just mention a few.

There are other much more insidious signs that we are going in the wrong direction.Extra-judicial killings and the refusal of the leadership to deal with these in an open and accountable manner indicates a misplaced belief of impunity within the top leadership of this country. There are reports that security organs such as the DIS are being used for nefarious purposes. The control of the state media by the presidency points to a new level of degeneration of our democracy.

The above may not directly lead to violence, but they do threaten the confidence of our people in our system of government. Citizens who do not feel that they are playing a meaningful part in the running of their country's affairs often end up resorting to other avenues to express their disapproval. All these challenges need to be addressed forthwith to secure the peace that we already have.

Today's Thought

"The journey of a thousand leagues begins with a single step. So we must never neglect any work of peace within our reach, however small."

- Adlai E. Stevenson (American Politician)