Reflecting on 49 years
Mmegi Editor | Tuesday September 29, 2015 11:33
Independence celebrations are naturally an opportunity to introspect and as is equally natural, self-introspection often produces the harshest prognosis. We accommodate criticism of the road since 1966 because it comes from the hearts of people who have this nation’s best interests at heart.
We accommodate it because inherent in the governance makeup of Botswana society is inclusive and mutual consultation, a viewpoint enshrined in the kgotla system and honoured from history.
We accommodate criticism because we understand that the government of the day or the politicians in parliament, do not have exclusive rights on what is good for the country. Neither do they have exclusive rights on making comments or assessments of the progress since 1966. However, to play the Devil’s Advocate let us soberly examine, briefly, the progress the country has made since independence.
Across all sectors, or areas of human ambition, from education, health, basic service delivery, infrastructure, technology, and overall living standards, it is not debatable that amazing progress has been achieved from independence.
It continues to amaze new generations that the modern Botswana of today was once a poor, agrarian and landlocked nation of approximately 550,000 people in 1966 with per capita Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of about US$70!
Fastforward 47 years later. That windswept wilderness has yielded a modern and mixed economy boasting a multicultural society, world-class institutions, ingrained democratic governance and a per capita GDP of US$6,935 as at 2012.
Over the decades, poverty rates have declined from 50 percent at independence in 1966, to about 21 percent (2012), while other wealth indicators such as vehicle density have shot up over the same period to an estimated 216 vehicles per 1,000 people. Barely 15 years after the introduction of cellular phone services, Botswana now boasts one of the world’s highest teledensities at 153 percent, or two cellphones per three people.
Using diamond and other mineral revenues, primary infrastructure such as roads, railways, water systems and to an extent, power generation, was established in the years after independence, building economic greenbelts for communities and investors alike. The spin-offs from mineral revenues were not only limited to the roll-out of primary infrastructure, but also the attendant development of secondary services such as banking and insurance, which spiralled after having been originally established as outposts for the convenience of the South African trader.
As we celebrate independence tomorrow, we are intimately aware of the challenges ahead, but also draw confidence that the progress made suggests whatever else needs to be done, can and will be done.
Nnang le boipuso jo bo monate.
Today’s thought
“Nothing is more precious than
independence and liberty.”
- Ho Chi Minh