Barring a last minute miracle, it is a given that Ian Khama will get his second term as the President of the Republic of Botswana, which basically means another six (6) or more years under the leadership of a no-hoper.
This prospect is torturing me and literally giving me sleepless nights. It is hard to take it but there seems to be no other way except to put up with this tragic presidency. However, Francis Ngobe’s prophecy about the demise of the BDP still gives me hope and a reason to value life.
I am not a paranoid critic but rather I am hurt and deeply disturbed that the very same person who ruined the future of our country through a leadership style that is focused more on sorting out political opponents and critics will still has to be in-charge for the next half a decade. You see, President Khama allowed his vengeance mentality ÔÇô that village mentality that makes him develop a burning desire to show daddy that he is a big boy and can do it ÔÇô to overshadow the work that he is supposed to do as state president and in the process turned this erstwhile prosperous nation into a failed state of repute. It is a hard fact that since Ian Khama assumed the state Presidency, Botswana has experienced a sharp decline in international ranking on as many fronts. In other fronts where the country has not experienced a free fall, it has remained virtually stagnant without the slightest prospect for improvement.
I still remember his interview by the Voice newspaper in 2009 whereupon he remarked that politicians are driven by self-interest and that they put self before duty. At every opportunity, President Khama takes time to speak so passionately against corruption yet it seems to be a case of ‘do as I say, not as I do’.
Under his leadership, corruption has spiraled out of control especially among the elites many of who are his close associates.
This has given currency to the public perception that President Khama is a big beneficiary of corrupt deals. Amazingly, when given an opportunity to come clean he chooses to play the victim with the aim of making critics feel guilty for asking him to account for his indecisiveness.
The recession argument has no longer a leg to stand on because it is now a part of us and requires us to have long come up with sustainable and intelligent interventions. However, President Khama’s inability to pioneer meaningful programs to help Batswana live decent lives is symbolically significant and points to someone who is lazy to think and thus gravitating towards what is easy and requiring limited application of the mind.
As a result, our hopes have been shattered and we have become virtually hostage to a President who spent more time grooming his afro hair and hiding from ladies instead of providing solid political leadership.
Like I have said before, I have never held any of our presidents in high esteem even though they had my unlimited respect but honestly I have never been so upset by the way President Khama goes about his official business. Some critics branded Festus Mogae a reluctant president yet his laisser-faire attitude ensured that he did not mess up the country. President Khama on the other hand wants to be at the center of everything yet his loads of energy causes more harm than good.
With monotonous regularity, he reminds the nation about the need for belt-tightening on account of dwindling state revenues yet he comes out as the most profligate president this country ever had; a spendthrift whose reckless taste forced the state to spend countless millions of Pula to buy him a luxurious caravan; to renovate the presidential palace and enhance its security features including the construction of mini barracks inside the palace. Every time I think of how much we spend on his upkeep while he causes havoc with his miss and run approach, I shed a tear -literally.
Here is a state president who wants to make the rural folk believe that his presidency is unfairly under siege from critics and the private press. At times I feel for him but I sincerely expect President Khama to introspect and shift his focus from attempting to force his personal life down Batswana and re-channel his energies towards making Botswana a place where hard work is the passport to success rather where success is measured in terms of how many times one had threatened to kill for him.
It is a hard fact that under his leadership graduates of higher learning institutions have become destitute persons as unemployment reaches new heights; the economy is in a coma and workers are literally owned by micro-lenders; the public service is boisterously playing dead with a harmful carefree attitude; the judiciary has been politicized beyond redemption and the education system is virtually paralyzed.
Mindful of these, the thought of him getting a second term to continue his crusade to change values of the country and defile many of the ideals that have served our country so well makes me wish the Second Coming of Christ was tomorrow. It is truly hard to take it and it makes me conclude that ours is a President who is hostage to delusions of grandeur that makes him want to have everything created in his image to portray him as a big boy with a mind of his own.
President Khama must of necessity re-direct his energies away from his desire for cheap publicity and focus more on what needed to be done for Botswana. Once he is focused on the bigger picture, that is, making Botswana a better place for us ALL, he will have a much easier task and wouldn’t be tried in a court of public opinion as is the case now.
When former American president Bill Clinton was crucified for having a nice time with a female White House intern, he remarked that he managed to survive the scandal because he embraced Nelson Mandela’s advice to focus on the work he was elected to do.
My humble advice to President Khama is that he should not let his ego run ahead of reality and make him behave like he is bigger than the government. He must focus on what is needed to be done for this country rather than chase ghost that are not his. This will help re-direct criticism towards the government but as long as President Khama continues to manage the republic like his chicken farm, the private press and critics will continue to despise him and celebrate his mistakes while dismissing his successes as a fluke.
They will continue to paint him as a baggage; a legendary flop who only succeeded in turning our country into a flee-infested has-been prosperous nation.
