If it were in other countries, the current crises chocking right, left and centre would metamorphose into a patriotic rallying cry and unite the nation against a seemingly inept and unbothered administration and usher in an Arab-styled change of government. The southern part of the country is experiencing crippling water shortages while the rest of the country frequently experiences dark nights due to load shedding. Unemployment especially among the youth Botswana has reached crisis level owing to a sluggish economy that is essentially on autopilot. The country is fast losing its democratic mantle ÔÇô her prized asset – culminating in the scandalous erosion of civil liberties. The reaction from many citizens is to point to the force of nature and brazenly absolve the country’s leadership stating that these are matters beyond the control of His Excellency President Khama and his lieutenants. In short, those who endeavour to get answers to the mess are harshly told to keep their hands off His Excellency and get lost in deprivation.
This stance by my fellow citizens always leaves me with ambivalent feelings. On the one hand I always feel privileged to belong to this self-respecting and peace loving nation which exudes enormous tenacity in the face of adversity ÔÇô perseverance is our middle name. We are arguably a versatile and great people, which is why we survived harsh arid conditions of the Kalahari Desert.
On the other hand I always disappointed by Batswana’s over-abundant levels of humility which in no small measure obscures their potentials and ambition. Ours is a unique nation that subscribe to botho no so much as a social contract of mutual respect but rather as a measure of over-respect for authority and a poor sense of life.
In effect Batswana are not only self-respecting but a tame and happy to be screwed spineless people. While accountability is one of the basic principles of a democracy, in Botswana any attempt to hold our leaders accountable is instantly rebuffed and met with public ridicule and possible marginalization. It appears like our people are too happy to beg for life from their government and are undoubtedly averse to greatness.
We are indeed a small-minded petty people who are content with living dog life ÔÇô a nation of street vendors and blanket collectors. Whereas in other countries where people take themselves seriously, street vending is a fall back option for survival or an additional stream of income, in Botswana it is revered as a first class career. While other nationalities collect coins and other prized antiques, in Botswana we have turned blankets into treasure.
In his inauguration speech in 2008, President Khama remarked that ‘I am confident in the future and I am determined to build upon the solid foundation that has already been laid since independence by my predecessors…Botswana can achieve great success only if we show collective will and when we all participate fully in her affairs’. In assuring the nation that he was determined to build upon the solid foundation already in place, President Khama was making a statement of commitment, a contractual agreement if you like it, which means that whenever President Khama’s actions are deemed detrimental to our erstwhile value system ÔÇô the solid foundation he acknowledged, he must be reminded about his commitment and asked to account for his waywardness and non-compliance and this is should be the duty of every single citizen who takes him/herself seriously and commit themselves to taking Botswana forward by fully participating in her affairs.
In the same speech, President Khama further remarked that ‘I am confident that with the right leadership at all levels and the appropriate mind set, we can, together secure success’. This implies that without the right leaders success would remain just a dream. The current crises enveloping this nation and the subsequent reversals of its fortunate garnered since independence are a sure sign of lack of quality leadership. We cannot expect our leaders to make things right of their own free will because their positions entitle them to live high on the hog. They live in absolute comfort with uninterrupted water supplies and standby generators while we walk dark alleys to scavenge for a basic need like water.
In the midst of this hardship and distress, my fellow citizens are not bothered and are too keen to offer an abundant flow of praise to His Excellency for taking a ride on a mini bus and buying sweets from happily ever street vendors. Our country can be better only if its citizens play an active role in demanding the leaders to account, not as providers of comic relief. It is really shameful that we have allowed ourselves to become a nation of gullible, overly tolerant, resigned and unambitious people who are content with lower standards.
Our extra-ordinary humility means that we love our leaders more than we care about our lives. We are a nation that is recognized by an image of a citizen who is proud of being poor. Like a dog that wags its tail when being fed by its owner, we have become pigs in blankets that are too happy to cheer tyrants as we receive blankets and other insulting goodies. We celebrate and reward damned failures with appointment to key positions while capable people are treated like skunks.
No citizen of sense ought to be content with being a loser, a doormat or a coward. We cannot secure success from choosing street vending as a first career option. How did we get to a point where selling sweets and cigarettes make us feel as though we are in charge of our own supermarkets or global franchises? We cannot secure success by making citizens make beelines to receive blankets and feel honoured. We need to become a nation that admires winners and champions. We need to tough it out and tell our leaders to their faces that we will not tolerate mediocre leaders who derive pleasure from showing off their tummies. We need to man up and refuse to let our society to be turned into a nation of wimps and spoiled brats who live on food rations. We need to amplify our voices and take responsibility for our prosperity.
If Botswana’s future is going to be as bright as its past, we need to stop being a nation of slackers masquerading as self-respecting and peace loving people. A great nation cannot be founded from street vendors, wimps and dignified beggars. The habit of appointing people to lead government departments and parastatals on account of political allegiance is a recipe for disaster and has turned our country into a pig farm. The habit of protecting notorious and unrepentant corrupt bureaucrats and political leaders from justice means that corruption is a core ingredient of our value system and is as endemic as our ignorance. Giving eloquent speeches and swearing by the Gods of thunder to build on the solid foundation already in place while circumventing the rule of law is a criminal behaviour fit for glorified tokens that we parade as honourable leaders.
Citizens need to change their mind set and develop hatred for living small and dreaming small. A decadent Botswana needs citizens who aspire to be self-reliant, self-confidence, critical and responsible enough to take on their hardnosed pleasure-seeking leaders. Be warned fellow citizens – the bigger the tick gets, the more impoverished we get. As our leaders gain weight and assume a pale complexion due a life of luxury, we, on the other hand become frail, rugged and zealous candidates for death.
