It has been a tumultuous past few weeks in our republic. Things have literally been happening, both good and bad. It is not surprising that we experienced wild moods considering that this will be a golden jubilee year for us as a nation. Indeed, we came way too far and where we stand today, we are nowhere near a united and proud people we thought we will be when we crafted Vision 2016. We have grown to become a divided nation of the haves and the have nots, employed and unemployed, rural against urban dwellers, among many other connotations. The consequence of this division have been unrestrained behaviour directed at those at the helm of our republic. In this instalment I reflect on recent developments and underdevelopments to better understand the visible anger, rage and intolerance that has, ironically during this momentous moment in our history, come to characterise modern day lived experience of many Batswana.
I need to make it clear from the onset that very few of our contemporaries feel optimistic about the future of our country. They are the lucky few who mostly reside in cities. How they make ends meets is known only to them. Yes, these are the privileged ones who don’t understand nothing about squalor and misery that define lived experiences of many of their colleagues beyond Gaborone and Francistown. Surely, the system works for them.
Majority of others, unsurprisingly, fear for this nation going into the future. They don’t have it easy in life, especially those residing in rural areas. Thiers is a life approximate to the Hobbesian state of nature: solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short. They know nothing except hardship. In fact, the future holds no promise for them. These are people living in the margins of life. How sad for them considering the context in which they lead their lives.
That Botswana is a success amongst its peers cannot be denied. We have enjoyed economic growth unparalleled over the past 30 or so years. We also enjoyed relative peace, in an otherwise brutal continent. Unfortunately, the successful story painted about Botswana that we have become so accustomed to fails to capture the whole life experience of majority of our people. We are a divided nation, as indicated above. The bigger question would be how did we end up here? And what possible implications, should these socio-economic models be left unchanged, are likely to visit our nation? I had to think hard about these questions after following on the latest developments in our polity some of which I will share below before I revisits the questions posed above.
The BDP held a special congress over the weekend in Mogoditshane. Obviously, there were various pressing matters to be considered. Among those items before members of the ruling party was the propose amendment of presidential retirement package. Yes, the party wants to bring before parliament a motion seeking to better conditions of the first citizen after he leaves office. Makes sense, obviously, to address this issue now for the incumbent especially in the African context. Surely, why would HE want to burden the next president with sorting out his package? Definitely a good decision to relook at when he is still in control of the lever of power. Unsurprisingly, the ruling party found nothing wrong with supporting the proposed changes. I can’t make sense of the proposed changes, but those I talked to want to make it appear like a fundamental shift from current practise to something different, for instance, now HE can decide where his retirement home can be built. In other words the provision that the house should be built in Gaborone is no more. He might want it in Mosu, and no one can say anything. The implications are also obvious here: a house that was initially meant to be “owned” by a retiring president and transferred back to state control when he passes on is going to be complex to undertake now that he can construct the house in his private place.
Elsewhere, BCL mine in Selibe Phikwe is facing a bleak future. This is not just a mine at crossroads, it is about the entire region facing up to a desolate reality. A ghost town lucks somewhere in the corner, but as is often the case nothing seems to be bothering many of our people beyond those directly affected by BCL operations. The political leadership doesn’t appear bothered. A case of playing Russian roulette is too obvious if one goes by the silence from those in charge of our nation. Consequently, uncertainty persists in relation to what next for the BCL. Do government inject more funds? Do they opt for complete closure? The only thing coming from the powers that be is that a ministerial team has been established to look into the BCL issues. We should not forget that here we have almost 5000 jobs at stake. Beyond the mine staff, the town literally breathe because of the BCL. Tough times ahead, indeed.
I chose the two illustration to demonstrate where our priorities as a nation are focused and where there is lesser of the same. We are a nation at crossroads. We are unable to prioritise our action to propel us beyond the current middle-income status. We chose to reward the select few and ignore majority of our people who lead a life of poverty and deprivation. But if we are to go beyond our current station, we will need fresh thinking. Innovative and sustainable means of doing things should be the guiding touch if we are to achieve the full potential of this nation. But the current leadership, which in the first place brought us where we are, sadly, cannot be expected to be the same that will offer solutions for problems they have created. We strongly need a completely different type of leaders to move Botswana forward.
*Molefhe teaches Public Administration at the University of Botswana
