We welcome a decision by Botswana government to come up with a clear policy on citizen economic empowerment. While we have in the past called for a citizen economic empowerment law, we still accept that a policy is a step in the right direction, albeit a small one. We have not given up on our conviction that one day we shall have an explicit law making clear rules on how Batswana can take part in the economy of their country. We make no apologies in our call for Botswana Government to explicitly favour its citizens. Governments the world over do the same to their citizens vis-à-vis expatriates. But that is not the gist of this commentary.
Rather the commentary seeks to once again cement our hope is that the policy will go a long way in integrating Batswana into the mainstream economic activities of their country. Our take has always been that Botswana will only reach its full potential once the private sector becomes the driver of the economy. Ours is an abnormal situation in that by far the government is the biggest and most dominant player in the economy. That has to be corrected. Other than through privatization, starting of small businesses by Batswana can increase the participation of the private sector in the overall economy. We note with reassurance the growing spirit of entrepreneurship and ambition among a growing number of Batswana, especially the young ones. While not every Motswana will become a businessman or woman, we think that those who aspire to become so should be assisted. With its massive procurement budget, government is best placed to see this lofty dream driven forward. We want highlight the fact that the world over, no country has ever developed on the exclusive efforts of government.
Countries develop because of thriving private sector industries. In fact the world over governments do not make money. They only spend it, mostly as taxes collected from businesses and individuals. What governments also do is to create hospitable environments for spirits or entrepreneurship, innovation, creativity and commerce to thrive. They also confine themselves to areas of regulation and law enforcement. We think that is where our government should concentrate its efforts rather than try to dabble in business. This is not to say Botswana Government has not done anything to empower its citizens. Botswana government has tried to assist, as in such schemes like CEDA and many others before. The tragedy though is that it has always been found that citizen beneficiaries did not always embrace government assistance with the seriousness that such gestures deserved. We call on government not to give up. There is no alternative to having citizens being the main players in the economy of their country. A situation where citizens are only spectators or menial workers as is currently the case is not only untenable in the long term but also potentially counterproductive. More importantly we want to point out that it is not in the interest of expatriates that commit their resources to Botswana that host citizens are left out of the economy.
When so many citizens do not participate in the economy of their country there can be no guarantees for the safety and indeed security of whatever investments foreigners may be bringing into the country. A situation where citizens are reduced to the role of being spectators creates envy, jealousy, bad blood, resentment, xenophobia and even political instability. It is only when Batswana are also economic players that foreigners whose investments and skills we must emphasise we need here would feel safe. At another level, but still related to the above is a perception by foreigners that Batswana are hostile to outsiders. We admit that there is some truth to this.
Rather than be defensive, as Batswana we have to deal with this perception. More importantly we have to work at correcting it. We hope non-citizens will also be gracious enough to help establish the reasons behind such veiled hostility among Batswana. Non-citizens also need to come to the party to help us find a solution. Our take is that Batswana are not an inherently xenophobic people. Like all people all over the world, Batswana behave in a certain way when they feel crowded out in a space they perceive as naturally theirs. Those feelings become even more pronounced in times of economic difficulties such as the times we currently are living in. When Batswana look at themselves as wailing in poverty when all expatriates seem to have it easy, they begin to develop hostility towards people who should otherwise be treated as guests ÔÇô for that is what expatriates really are. Such perceptions of xenophobia will come to an end once Batswana see themselves as integral players in the economy of their country. Excluding citizens will only make such xenophobia more entrenched, more pervasive, more ingrained and more institutionalized.
