The nation has been holding its breath after President Mokgweetsi Masisi told a recent media conference that he will confide all to Batswana about the true nature of his squabbles with his predecessor Ian Khama.
In the wake of the teaser by the President, Sunday Standard spoke to the President’s close circle of friends some serving government officials while others are outside formal government employ, having retired or involved in ruling party politics.
The picture emerging is that Masisi intends to share with the nation exactly how Khama ran government.
“When he eventually speaks, Masisi will tell the nation that under Khama it was a one-man show. As vice president he was in the dark. If anybody else was involved in key decisions during Khama, it was his inner circle. Institutions were literally run over,” said one member of Masisi kitchen cabinet.
Another one said Masisi will share with the nation the pains he had endured under Khama, including how he was often sidelined. This will also include attempts made to replace him at the time, including calls made on him to resign which he resisted.
“He will basically share with the nation his pains. He is a man who has been through a lot. He will tell the nation that he is ready to quit if the nation wants him to. He will however not want to do so as a coward. He wants the nation to fully understand what is at stake if the old way of running this country under Ian Khama is allowed back. His conscience is clean. He wants the nation to know that he will not cling to power, not even for a day if he is no longer needed or wanted,” said another Masisi confidante.
Another Masisi close associate said the president intends to tell the nation that during Khama the government and party were forced to defend the decisions they neither agreed with nor the formulation of which they were consulted.
“He wants to paint a picture of just how everybody else, not just him felt used and also helpless. He has shared with some of us these experiences and you can see and feel the pain ÔÇô in his voice but also in his eyes. When he talks about these things he gets very angry. ”
Masisi will ask the nation if they want to go back. “And tell them not to regret any decision they may want to take.”
