I have wanted to address immediate issues dominating in our polity, especially those about party congresses held by our major parties this July. Obviously, the silly season is here with us and I could not afford to ignore what major decisions will be considered and resolved by delegates during party congresses. But I need to pay my respect to a fallen hero, Quett Ketumile Joni Masire. In that sense, the current instalment with reflect on QKJ’s role in the development of our country. I intend to pay particular focus on his efforts towards crafting sound institutions that would come to explain the phenomenal rise Botswana enjoyed during his tenure as the president. Yes, he has been the longest serving Head of State here, having been in office for 18 years, but he was already playing an persuasive role in defining the direction with which this country would come to follow in much of its post-independence period, much earlier than when he ascended to the highest office.
Masire’s role in our development trajectory begins well before 1966. Before dwelling much on what RraGaone ÔÇô as he was affectionately known ÔÇô it would be productive to highlight qualities that defined him, obviously learning from other’s experiences, and my own interactions with him. Masire was always a visionary. A hard worker of note both in private and public office ÔÇô he would still try his hands on a tractor to plough his farm even when occupying the highest office in the republic. He came from humble beginnings and, importantly, he stayed true to humility even when his star was on the rise. He would die a humble man. He was, above all, a people’s person. That was not always the case, however. In my home village, Kanye, he endured indifference from many of his tribesmen largely because of his political orientation which differed starkly with those of his paramount chief, Bathoen II. He carried a lot of tenacity. Importantly, he was well versed on his culture ÔÇô in terms of values, practises and related. I cannot overemphasised the significance of that indigenous knowledge to the ease with which he led his nation. He stayed true to who he was to the very end. And that explains why almost all of us loved him so much.
We would gain our independence incapacited, and, therefore, had to rely significantly on British aid and grants to initiate and implement any development program. The departing British administration had done little to develop us in terms of infrastructure or related. The limited investment in the territory by the British gave rise to neglect and underdevelopment. Sadly, we would gain self-rule amongst the poorer nations under the sun. Notwithstanding this inauspicious beginnings the country’s post-independence experience has been of enormous accomplishment. Masire and his team, especially at the new Ministry of Finance and Development Planning were not discouraged. The premier Ministry in Gaborone would come in the post-independence to define development trajectory of the country because of an able team headed by RraGaone, as the Vice President and Minister of the same ministry. At this juncture, he provided a clear vision ÔÇô to transform Botswana into a successful development case. This was to be achieved within a well-defined development framework ÔÇô NDPs. I still recall a couple of years back when I interviewed him for my academic project how he continually reminded me of the emphasis they placed on NDP framework. It served the country in many ways; when they were looking for aid, nations were ready to give them money because they had a plan ÔÇô in fact, a detailed one, in place. It also enhanced good governance. Because money was allocated on the basis of a proposed plan, there was little room for corruption and mismanagement ÔÇô the two devils currently consuming this nation. And, lastly, it enhanced participation, a pillar of democratic governance.
More than just crafting of strong institutions to guide our development agenda, Masire’s lasting legacy was his strong belief in developing human capital both for individuals and the country’s benefit. He placed much emphasis on identifying talent, and where there was little available he committed resources to build human capacity. He believed in education. There would, obviously, a reason why that was the case. Education to him was the best equaliser. So under his administration a lot was done to provide education for Batswana to uplift them from poverty. Not just education, but a quality education, where many citizens would be sent to best schools across the globe. In the civil service a lot was done to build human capacity during his tenure. And by the 1980s ours was regarded as one of the most professional oriented civil services amongst developing countries. He knew the centrality of the public service towards the nation’s development agenda. That is why he would do anything possible to have a motivated civil service. He would engage them and where there were differences consultation was prioritise to resolve differences.
Above all, RraGaone succeeded in building a multi-party system. His predecessor, Sir Seretse Khama, never thought of banning opposition parties when it was fashionable across Africa for a variety of reasons. Above all both he and Masire were true democrats. They believed in divergence of opinion. But Masire went further by introducing All Party Conference where the ruling and opposition parties regularly met to engage on topical issues for the benefit of the nation. He was much comfortable with almost everyone, except few in his own party and beyond. Democracy to him was the foundation of the success of this country, and was prepared to guard it jealously to the bitter end. Who would forget his last widely publicised words on the EVM? To say he hated the proposed use of electronic machines in the coming elections would be an understatement. We could do better as a people not to tamper with the delicate elections matter by listening to his words. After all, we all know the saying ‘mafoko a moswe a a tlotlwa’. I would therefore like to end this piece by urging the powers that be and Batswana in general to pay much attention to RraGaone words advising us against the use of EVM. Electoral disputes, after all, have been the key explanations for conflict and under-development that consumes much of our counterparts in the continent.
Dr Molefhe teaches Public Administration at the University of Botswana
