A New Dawn Or Sinking Into A Morass?

Why, without good need, would a sitting President humiliate a former President? He has other problems on his hands. Did Mogae humiliate Masire. Did Khama humiliate Mogae? Why would Masisi seek to humiliate Khama?

It is improbable that such a scenario has ever occurred elsewhere in Africa if only because African leaders only rarely retire. And then again, it’s improbable that any other country in Africa has three times achieved a peaceful change of leadership. So why should it go wrong this time? One reason has to be that HE Khama is not your average former President – there being no such thing of course. Since his more youthful days, he has never been anything other than head, virtually the supreme head of everything, the country’s major tribal group, the army and the country. Was it to be expected that he might be or could be anything else? His successor as President had therefore to be either a lapdog, in which case there would be no conflict, or a real man with whom conflict was inevitable. In the former case, the last 10 years would be carried forward into the next 10 and there would be no change of any kind. Now, we learn that the issues involved go way beyond a clash of personalities or deciding that the last 10 years have been either the best since Independence or the worst? Do some truly believe that HE Khama dragged the country out of the mire in which former President Mogae had dumped it? Should we believe that HE Masisi is now trying to disentangle the country from the mess that he had inherited? Some will go one way, some the other. It has to be important to recognise though that these ‘some’ can only be members of the BDP. This makes it a straight forward internal party battle, although it is in fact anything but straightforward with the obvious loser being the country. Which of the two BDP factions might emerge the winner?

Can there be a winner? Could a split BDP really govern the country in any meaningful way? But what does each one now seek? What is most at stake and what tactics might be deployed? We have been told that the intention of the pro-Khama faction is either to neutralise Masisi at the BDP conference, or replace him. It would help if we could be told how such a process might work. I for one have no idea. But the one is head of state, the other isn’t. Is it all about dishevelled government and widespread corruption at the top, or can there be other issues involved?

Editor's Comment
Congratulations Anicia Gaothuse!

The contest had 10 beautiful young girls as finalists and unfortunately only one could wear the crown.The judges picked Anicia Gaothuse. To all those who feel their contestant should have won ahead of Anicia for whatever reason, hardly; the judges found Anicia to be the best among the best, so desist from disrespecting our newly crowned queen on social media or anywhere else, for that matter! Each of the 10 beautiful young women had supporters...

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