Public must take Khama head-on again
Mmegi Editor | Friday June 23, 2017 11:54
The asset, being the national airline carrier, saw President Ian Khama release a Directive Cab 12 (A) 2017 ordering his Cabinet to deliver Air Botswana to Wilderness Safaris Holdings, as it was revealed. Khama, who has shares in one of Wilderness Safaris’ subsidiary companies, was cleared of any conflict of interest by transport and communications minister, who denied that Khama had any direct links to the deal.
After heated public pressure two weeks ago, Wilderness Safaris came to the conclusion that following careful deliberation on their part, the company would not continue its pursuit of the prospective deal. Therefore, it withdrew its Expression of Interest and advised government of its decision. It was apparent that breadcrumbs would eventually lead to Khama having given Air Botswana to Wilderness Safaris on a silver platter, inevitably himself a piece.
The Air Botswana frustration did not dampen Khama’s spirits, who is clearly thirsty to sign lucrative deals before he leaves office on March 31, 2018 - that is, if he really will go. From the look of things, the man wants to rule from the grave after his term expires. Last Saturday, he flew to Sweden to discuss another deal with Prime Minister, Stefan Löfven.
Although government wants us to believe that Khama went there to strengthen bilateral ties between Botswana and Sweden, it does not take a rocket scientist to conclude that he went there to discuss the acquisition of over P15 billion-worth of Gripen war aircraft from the Nordic state.
Last month, the Umbrella for Democratic Change president, Duma Boko petitioned the Swedish government over “Botswana’s arms race in the midst of poverty, massive unemployment and social inequality”. In the strongly-worded 10-page petition, Boko said with the current regime, left with barely two years to the next general elections, committing the country to such spending is both irresponsible and immoral.
“According to reliable sources, Botswana intends to acquire between eight and 12 of these aircraft. The Gripen JAS 39 aircraft is an ultra-modern and very advanced fighter, even by European standards that military aviation experts say the Botswana Defence Force (BDF) neither need nor can afford... ,” Boko wrote in part. Obviously, Khama decided to travel thousands of kilometres to Sweden to clear the air raised by Boko’s petition.
Shockingly, Khama held a press conference on foreign soil though he has never held one in his own Botswana since coming into power in 2008. Local journalists have legitimate expectations that Khama should hold a press conference on home ground so that they too ask him questions, but he is neither compelled to, nor would he change his mind to entertain such audience of local scribes.
It is now up to ordinary Batswana to take action against their President. Just like they did with Air Botswana’s aborted privatisation plan (at least for now), they should pressurise Khama to drop this Gripen deal. The public has nothing to lose but Khama’s subliminal institutionalised corruption inimical to the future of this nation.
Today’s thought
“You must never be fearful about what you are doing when it is right.”
– Rosa Parks