When I first read the cheetah and President Khama story, I didn’t find it newsworthy.
I, therefore, dismissed those who linked the story to the security of the head of state as pretenders and self-styled patriots of ‘fonkong’ brand. When chief state propagandist Jeff Ramsay explained that they never considered issuing a public statement because the incident was a small issue, I thought that this time even those who subscribe to the philosophy of systematic doubt have to give him a break.
After all, it is common knowledge that President Khama is playful, adventurous; an unparalleled showman who often acts like an adolescent girl who has just been complimented for having a nice behind hence her determination to strut it out.
It is funny that we seem to show concern with President khama’s security when he plays with ‘his’ pets while we have always endorsed and enjoyed his participation in equally dangerous encounters such as the Khawa dune quad challenge and the annual fat-boy challenge.
President Khama models himself on fearless mystical characters of the Shaka Zulu fame with divine powers and revels in going where angels fear to tread.
Thus, it is only reasonable to allow him to indulge rather than whine and whimper and pretends that he takes us seriously.
However, my curiosity was aroused by Jeff Ramsay’s lame attempt to give the incident some context by way of providing background information.
Ramsay’s public statement essentially sought to explain the origins of the Botswana Defence Force (BDF) animal awareness park, specifically that it was established by President Khama whilst still an employee of the BDF. A critical read of Ramsay’s statement allows conclusions to be made that since the park is a creation of President Khama, there is every reason for him to have unlimited access to the animals.
Thus, the statement tragically opened a Pandora box and gives the readers more than they bargained for. In comic style it tells the untold story of a long retired general who is still in charge at the BDF. The statement overwhelmingly reveals that in actual fact the Presidency office had attempted to conceal the incident and by extension keep Khama’s stranglehold on the BDF as mere conjecture and the imaginations of restless souls. Thanks to the cheetah, we now know that Ian Khama is stalking the BDF high command and is not only snooping but is actually truly in charge.
Whereas his unlimited access to the barracks and army properties is common knowledge, it has never been so apparent that the retired general is still in command as to influence every facet of the army’s processes from staff progression, succession plans and military intelligence some decades after he has retired. This prospect makes me very uncomfortable and jittery not least because Khama’s motives can never be predicted.
I do not buy into the spurious idea of President Khama volunteering to help the BDF tame the animals. The BDF should by now be having trained and competent professionals able to handle these animals.
My suspicion therefore is that the absence of trained animal handlers in the BDF is a deliberate decision meant to ensure a vacuum in respect of domesticating and training animals in the park to justify Khama’s continued involvement and relevance- a kind of an opportunity to give President Khama free and absolute control of the BDF animal awareness park.
The spirited attempt to justify President Khama’s involvement in BDF matters just has to show the extent to which we are beholden to Ian Khama to a point where it seems Botswana would cease to exist once Khama is out of the picture. This is national embarrassment of monumental proportions with the potential to subject us as a nation to international ridicule.
It must be noted that Ian Khama established the said zoo as an employee of the BDF, using public resources. In consequence, the park is a property of the state and civilian access to it must be governed by laid down rules. Any departure from the rules by any civilian including former generals should naturally constitute breach of protocol.
To date Botswana has four retired BDF commanders and it reasonable to believe that all have had a share in growing the BDF into a highly professional and competent army. However, we cannot use their diligent service to the BDF as justification for their interference in the army. Like all other former employees of the BDF of the different ranks, retired generals must stay away from the army unless the BDF officially engages them.
I cannot just imagine a situation where retired soldiers of all ranks are allowed to occasionally check on some projects they initiated in the army. It would be untenable, a pandemonium and a security risk.
Our failure as a nation to rehabilitate Ian Khama and show him that Botswana’s future is not dependent on him is eventually catching up with us.
Our failure to stop President Khama from meddling in the affairs of the military will likely have serious consequences in the future. Precisely, his continued close connections with the army provides fodder for his future conduct as a former head of state ÔÇô that is if he actually decides to handover at the end of his second and final term.
President Khama’s recent revelation that he does not have a succession plan should worry all us all because that could mean that he has no plans to step down at the end of his term though such is a constitutional prescription. Alternatively, President Khama is perhaps still in the process of identifying the weakest amongst his potential successors with a view to enthroning a feeble, decrepit individual who he (Khama) would control and manipulate willy-nilly. This will allow Khama to habitually call the shots from outside of the State House in a manner that would make the Botswana presidency a Khama fiefdom. After all, his continued personal relations with the military where he still lord over incumbent commanders has set a precedence which is that one does not actually has to leave after retirement, at least for Ian Khama.
