And, finally, WikiLeaks has released the cables from the US Embassy in Gaborone.
Though not providing any juicy gossip between former Ambassador Joseph Huggins and his bosses in Washington, the leaked information has the potential to negatively affect our country’s relations with America and as such cannot just be wished away and treated as Huggins’ opinion and nothing more.
I remember some years back when I wrote in the newspapers praising Huggins for his sterling job as an ambassador here. Huggins was not just an American amongst us, he was one of us. He had become popular amongst the people of this country.
He championed the fight against HIV/AIDS. He actively participated in philanthropist activities and helped the poor. In fact he was more popular and made more public appearances than many of our leaders. Just like our current President, he was a physical fitness fanatic and took part in many sponsored walks across the country.
He attended our funerals and weddings. To many Batswana, he was a father and a brother. Huggins was the man. No doubt, Huggins loved this country.
During his stay in Botswana, and by virtue of his work as an ambassador, it was Huggins’s responsibility to act as the eyes and ears of his country, the USA.
He had a duty to fulfill and that duty entailed reporting things as they unfolded before him.
Huggins traversed the country to get first hand information about Botswana and as per his job profile, he would put together information on what was happening here and relay it to his superiors back in the US.
The government of USA plays a pivotal role in how we govern ourselves, how we live, what we eat, how we tackle issues amongst ourselves as a sovereign nation or State. As such, it was expected of Huggins to want to know what the noise was all about in the CKGR.
Unlike many of us who make too much noise about the CKGR yet we have never found the need to visit the place and get first hand information from the concerned parties, Huggins conducted a field trip to Ghanzi and New Xade to get firsthand views from the residents of the area on March 10 and 11 in 2005. During his visit, Huggins learnt that “Rural poverty, severe dependence on government assistance, lack of income-generating opportunities, despair among youth were identified by interlocutors as dominant issues in the district.”
Huggins conducted interviews with some of the Basarwa and government officials, including Kgosi Lobatse Beslag, and the then Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ernest Mpofu.
It was only after his interaction with these people and after his observation of the situation, that Huggins reported back to Washington what unfolded before his eyes and ears. Huggins was not an employee of the Botswana government and as such he had no obligation, let alone the expectation, to report his findings to the Botswana government. Huggins had no boss in this country.
His bosses were in Washington where he dutifully reported. I am therefore shocked to hear our Foreign Affairs Minister, Phandu Skelemani trying to dismiss WikiLeaks cables just because Huggins never raised the contents of his report with Botswana officials.
I maintain that Huggins might not have raised his concerns or conclusions about the CKRG issue with our leaders for the mere reason that he had no business raising the issues with them. Afterall, it had become quite clear to Huggins that our government’s stance had been cast in iron. No interventions from Huggins would have brought any change of mind on our authorities. Mpofu’s comments, which represented government’s position, were crystal clear that the forced relocation or rather eviction of the Basarwa from the CKGR was not negotiable.
It was also not surprising to learn that Kgosi Lobatse Beslag was also under pressure to give the thumbs up to the relocation in his update to Huggins. You will recall that this is the same Beslag who used to travel with our President overseas in government’s attempt to fool the world into believing that Basarwa had no qualms with their eviction from the CKGR.
Beslag made it into the Presidential entourage where he would be paraded in front of Western leaders and made to deliver statements that sold out his own people, the Basarwa. Should we then be surprised when Beslag, who I want to believe, got to know the inside of an aeroplane for the first time during his trips with the president, decides to be on government’s corner and abandon his people? Because of the ‘pocket money’ that comes with those trips, Beslag was bound to protect government. It took government just a ride on the OK 1 Jet and a night in a five star hotel to win the support of Kgosi Beslag.
Back to Huggins. America doles out loads of money to this country. America controls the entire world, literally. When America sneezes, the whole world catches flu. Without America there would be too much anarchy and misery in the world. Yes at times America brings misery to other nations but that is only because those nations misbehave and are a problem unto themselves, forcing America to crack the whip and bring order.
Without America there would be too many Mugabes and Gbagbos in Africa. It is only because of fear of reprisals from the USA that some African leaders fear to reveal their dictatorial tendencies. Much as Huggins loved this country, he had to report bad behavior to his bosses. Botswana should not hate Ambassador Huggins for his revelations. Infact Huggins’ comments on Botswana’s tackling of the CKGR issue should make our leaders realize the seriousness of this issue.
I always hear our leaders underplaying the impact that this issue can have on our relations with other countries and to our economy. By taking this matter lightly, our government should be warned that they are playing with fire. Our government should revisit their stance on the CKGR issue without being vindictive to the Basarwa who won a court case against government.
Government thinks by refusing to grant the disgruntled Basarwa the license to extract water in the CKGR, they are punishing those Basarwa but the truth is, in the end the entire nation will be punished as serious countries like the USA begin to realize that “the lack of imagination displayed on the part of GOB is breathtaking.”
I just wish our government could come out and apologize for telling lies about the reasons of the relocation in the first place. I have said it before that I don’t have any problem when people are relocated for developments that could benefit the entire nation but I do have a problem when government lies to the nation like it did in the CKGR relocations. Lies are catching up with government and now they want to blame WikiLeaks and Survival International.
More scaring is information suggesting that President Khama has vested interests in tourism enterprises currently being set up in the CKGR. I await Khama’s confirmation or denial on those allegations.
Or will it be his aunt, the 88-year-old Muriel refuting the allegations?
