Embassy of
the Republic of Botswana |
|
DEMOCRACY IN BOTSWANA: CHALLENGES AND MOTIVATIONS SINCE 1966 Lecture by Former President Sir Ketumile Masire at the University of Botswana on 20th September, 2006 Salutations: I am most heartened to have been invited to come, to this Institute of High Learning – our pride the University of Botswana, and talk to you about my understanding and experience of Democracy in Botswana since 1966. My pleasure is also derived more from the fact that I am to talk about our country on the occasion of the celebrations of its 40th Birthday. I am proud that I have had the opportunity to participate in the negotiations and preparation for the independence of this country, its nurturing during the infancy stage and its graduation into adulthood. In my talk this evening, I have chosen to outline, in sequence, the:
3. Socio-Economic Situation Bagaetsho, as it might be common knowledge to most of you, at the time of independence Botswana poor as it was, had democracy and was democratically ruled through our traditional leaders. Participatory and inclusive democracy was practiced. The Kgotla had a participatory system, where everyone was allowed to say his or her opinion so that it could be discussed and the good out of it taken advantage of. We know our expression of “Mmua lebe o a bo a bua la gagwe gore mona lentle a tle a letswe”. This was not all there was to it. There were also structures set up in the villages and communities which facilitated participation of the people in the decision making process. Leadership functions were decentralized to the smallest section of the community. I am talking about “Dikgotla and Dikgotlana which had Dikgosi and Dikgosana.” These structures allowed for wider consultations and keeping of law and order in our society. This indeed was what could be described as democratic politics and practices. These were credible and legitimate traditional institutions which allowed for due processes of democracy and good governance. This was and still is embeded in the culture of our society. Chairperson, on the economic front, Botswana was, at the time of Independence in September 1966, listed under the category of the poorest nations in the world. The per capita was estimated at around between US$70 and US$90. Most Batswana depended on subsistence agriculture. The beef industry was the mainstay of the economy. Very few people had salaried employment. Most people, about 30,000 to 35,000 were migrant workers, mostly in the South African mines. Their remittances formed a very small percentage of total export earnings. Other social amenities such as education facilities, health facilities, sanitation, portable water, communication infrastructure, and many other services were very minimal and indeed insignificant. I always want to mention, for emphasis, the fact that there was less than 10km of tarmacked road in the whole country. The capacity to run and operate Government was virtually not there, the requisite institutional machinery was very weak. This meant that everything had to be done from de novo. This is why some people said we were either very brave or too foolish to seek self-government and independence from the British. We all the same persevered, initially depending on British foreign aid to finance both our capital and recurrent budgets. 4. Preparations for Independence It was, and still is, a blessing that when we attained independence in 1966 we were already practicing democratic governance. People were free to air their opinions, no matter how divergent. This was part of our cultural heritage. It was from this workable system that it was even easier to galvanize and solidify our foundation for a sterling democratic system of governance. Our task was then to carry out more educational campaigns to teach and prepare our people for a different form of electing leaders through use of the ballot box and political parties. This approach was based on the understanding that good governance was the key to any progress, economic and otherwise, that we could aspire to. We emphasized that the party that was to rule the country should be committed to running a governance system which is predictable, open and accountable. A system which has the following characteristics:
Chairperson, I am pleased to state that Botswana was somewhat fortunate. We were wise to decide to blend traditional and modern forms of governance institutions and practices. A multi-party system was agreed upon and at elections in 1965 there were more than one political parties contending elections. Of course it is well known that Domkrag won the first elections and all the subsequent ones which have been held, without fail, every five years. 5. Challenges at Independence I have earlier outlined the socio-economic situation that prevailed in 1966. We had a big challenge which needed an elaborate system of development planning. We came up with a Transitional Development Plan which spelled out Government policies and prioritized development programmes and projects. Thereafter, five-year National Development Plans, approved by Parliament, became the norm. These plans have ever since played a role to ensure that only development projects in the approved plan are implemented. With this development planning system, it became a lot easier to attract and access a substantial amount of Official Development Aid. I want to hasten to reiterate that this was enhanced by the open and accountable form of governance that Botswana practiced. The two tier system of Central and Local Government ensured that there was inclusiveness in the decision making and the general development planning. At the local Government level, appropriate structures were set up to ensure total participation of the general populace. Even Villages had Village Development Committees. Chairperson, I briefly want to highlight certain aspects that, more than ordinarily, captured our attention. These were: the Customs Union regime, the Currency, Mineral Rights regime, and the recognition of the then potentially divisive Tribal Entities. The Customs Union – we had to thoroughly weigh the pros and cons of remaining in the Union or opting out. This was a very disturbing matter as our economy was, more at that time than now, heavily dependent on that of the then Apartheid South Africa. It was a tough balancing exercise we had to do. With regard to the Currency – it was the same story as that of the Customs Union. The issue of Mineral Rights was potentially the most controversial, but fortunately the late President handled the issue diplomatically enough and everyone was eventually agreeable. We had to determine what minerals legislation regime could best serve the interests of all Batswana regardless of where the minerals were discovered. I remember how my late predecessor Sir Seretse Khama skillfully negotiated with the Chiefs that mineral deposits and rights should not belong to the tribes but to the state so that the same could be exploited for the benefit of all Batswana in Botswana. How fortunate were we thereafter, when diamonds were discovered in Botswana. Today we are happy that through our prudent management of the proceeds from the diamonds, all Batswana in Botswana have and are continuing to benefit from the socio-economic progress being made. Our other concern was the issue of the danger of having Tribal Entities being the distinct character of our society. We saw this as being potentially divisive. We were ultimately able to find suitable form of words to use in the Constitution, which however, later became a source of discomfort to some people. I am happy that the issue is finally being resolved by amending the Constitution. It might not be all that satisfactory but it is an initial step in the desired direction. 6. Development Progress (Indicators) Chairperson, I stand here today fully convinced that where there is no democracy manifested by stability, predictability, rule of law and accountability, there can not be any meaningful economic and social development. We in Botswana can with confidence attest to this. Botswana has made a handsome economic progress. Between 1966 and 1999 real GDP grew on average by 9.2% while GDP per capita grew by 7%. It is currently more than US$3500. The national budget has grown from under US$3 million to the current US$4 billion, using the current day exchange rate. In 1966 formal sector employment was 29000 people, it has now risen to well over 296 387 people. Social and physical infrastructure has improved thousand folds. You will remember that I said at independence there were only 10kms of tarred roads, we now have well over 10 000kms of tarred roads in the country. Access to social amenities such as education, health and clean water has tremendously increased. This progress as you may know led to Botswana being removed from the list of 24 least developed countries in 1992. There are now appropriate sectoral policies in place to servicing our modern economy. 7. Highlights of democracy in Botswana today Chairperson, I see the following as the highlights of our democracy:
8. Challenges now and for the future Chairperson, Botswana has made an enviable progress in many fields. Our democracy is robust and continues to be our solid platform from which our success can be traced. However, there are many challenges remaining. Some of these are:
Chairperson, I believe that these issues have to be addressed fully if we are to continue on the successful path of development we have been following. 9. Conclusion In conclusion, I would like to once more state that it is my wish and hope that today’s generation and future generations could continue to build on what our forefathers created for this nation. Our current success is largely due to our leadership being motivated by their strengths and attributes such as commitment, prudence and determination to build a better Botswana economically and politically. There will always be a need to adapt to changing economic and social environments:
Chairperson, I am very grateful to have spent this afternoon with you all and I look forward to your comment and, or questions – of course I assume that the Chairperson will be kind enough to let the audience make comments and even ask questions. I thank you. |
|
