A recent study by Afro barometer made headlines for suggesting that China trumps America in the likeability stakes in Botswana. In particular, the study seemed to suggest that Batswana find China to be playing a positive economic and political role in Botswana.
Let us start with China’s purported positive political role. Although this notion is unclear, I assume that it means that Botswana are disposed to China’s political system and therefore find it attractive at a minimum. If that is true then it would be absurd. And sometimes you respond to the absurd by absurdity. So can we argue in the same vein that Zimbabwe has a positive political influence on Batswana? Of course, we cannot make that case because Batswana do not support the denial of basic liberties for opposition parties in Zimbabwe. As a result, the Zimbabwean system does not find support among the majority of people in Botswana. If the Zimbabwean system cannot, how can China’s? To think otherwise would be a self-fulfilling prophecy.
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