Khama,a closed book-Wikileaks

Staff Writer | Friday September 9, 2011 00:00

 

The cable details a report by then US ambassador Stephen Nolan stating that Khama prefers talking on pertinent policy issues with church leaders but not on spiritual matters.

The cable, which is largely dedicated to describing the psychological profile of Khama, says the president values loyalty and keeps a tight circle of friends.

'According to one observer, 'once you fall out with him, he  can never trust you again,' the cable reads.  Khama is also said to maintain longstanding friendships he enjoyed before joining politics and also friendships outside the political realm, especially 'friendships with people who have no axe to grind. They help to keep him grounded and provide him a window on the real  world,' reads the cable.

In 2009, the United States embassy tried to influence president Ian Khama to build alliances with leaders of countries in SADC and the African Union, WikiLeaks further reveals. WikiLeaks has released a classified cable by  Nolan to his Washington principals where he says: 'Our policy challenge is to encourage Khama to seek to build alliances with like-minded countries within SADC and the AU and try to influence policy outcomes.  Being 'right' on issues like Zimbabwe is a virtue, but being effective in ensuring change is harder and more important for Botswana's longer term interests,' reads the cable.

The cable reveals that the embassy identified several potential allies for Khama in the sub-region, including president Kikwete and Zuma, depending on the issues, 'but it is not yet clear that Khama is willing to invest time in this coalition-building effort,' reads the cable.

The embassy is said to have called for its principals in Washington to engage Khama and nudge him to make the alliances with the leaders. '...would be the first and most valuable step towards a more regionally  effective Khama. Engaging him informally on environmental issues would likely pay significant policy dividends and could lead to his broader regional engagement,' reads the cable.

The cables have also discussed Khama's military career, where his experience as a soldier was viewed as a reason for his tendencies to give orders instead of consulting as is normal in a democratic organisation. 

Khama was appointed as a Brigadier General at the age of 24 and deputy commander of the Botswana Defence Force (BDF) upon its 1977  creation, later serving as BDF commander from 1989 until becoming Vice-President in 1998. 

'Hence, Khama has spent most of his adult life in a professional context in which his orders were followed with neither negotiation nor dissent.  The political fray is still not a natural arena for him,' reads the cable.  The cable further reaveals that when asked about the nature of Khama's political vision, observers cited poverty reduction, economic  diversification, and improved government performance as domestic issues they believe he wants to tackle.

However, they also noted that Khama thus far has not done a good job communicating this vision.  Khama does not like to give speeches, and while he excels at small group discussions, particularly with villagers, he tends to avoid contentious policy issues in these chats. 

'Khama also has yet to (and may never) develop a close relationship with the local media that would help him communicate his goals in a more informal manner; he tends to disdain them as unprofessional and instead focus on international media, like CNN, the New York Times, and the Financial Times, with all of whom he has developed a positive rapport,' reads the cable.

The cable says while observers note Khama's difficulties in communicating his message at home, they say he has no such troubles outside Botswana.  Khama has made it clear he has no time for the longstanding practice of African leaders presenting a united front to the world, showing himself unafraid to buck the regional and continental consensus on issues like Zimbabwe, Sudan, and cooperation with Washington, particularly on military issues.

It also says President Khama seems to have little time for organisations like the Africa Union and Southern African Development Community, which he sees as talk shops.  In this arena, Khama is showing himself to be a leader unlike any other the continent has seen - although it remains to be seen if this boldness will yet result in anti-Khama backlash from Botswana's neighbours.

Asked what Khama was like as a person, the cable says several observers repeated the phrase 'closed book,' as the President is loath to reveal very much about himself on a personal level.  He values his privacy very much, and many think his anti-local media bias stems partly from this fact. 

'However, a few pictures of Khama the person did emerge, and suggest he is not quite so closed as some think: The President is a big sports fan, particularly of soccer. He never misses a national team home game, and he is the patron of the Botswana Football Association, reads the cable.  Khama, reads the cable, is an avowed teetotaler, and his efforts to push through last year's Liquor Act (which enacted a 30 percent tax on alcoholic beverages) were driven by his personal feelings.

'A few observers noted that they think Khama's personal distaste stemmed from his own father's problems with alcohol, which some think hastened his death in 1980,' it reads in part.