Mogae was the best teacher-Khama

| Tuesday April 1, 2008 00:00

 

I welcome you all to this farewell dinner for President Mogae, who is retiring after serving this nation with commitment and diligence spanning a period of 40 years. President Mogae started his national service back in 1968. He took up post as Planning Officer in 1968 and progressed to become Director of Economic Affairs. He was Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning from 1975 to 1976. He became Alternative Governor for Botswana at the International Monetary Fund, African Development Bank and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development from 1971 to 1976. President Mogae served in various parastatal boards. He was Director, then later Chairman, Botswana Development Corporation, Representative of the Commonwealth Fund for Technical Cooperation, Director of the De Beers Botswana Mining Company (Pty) Limited (Diamond Mining Company) Botswana RST Limited, Bamangwato Concessions Limited, BCL Sales Limited and Bank of Botswana.

President Mogae served in Washington D.C. as Alternate and Executive Director, International Monetary Fund for Anglophone Africa from 1976 to 1980. He then came home to take up the position of Governor of the Bank of Botswana from 1980 to 1981.  From 1982 to 1989 President Mogae was Permanent Secretary to the President, Secretary to the Cabinet and Supervisor of Elections.

He was appointed Minister of Finance and Development Planning in 1989 and became Vice President in 1992, until 31st March, 1998 when he became Third President of the Republic of Botswana. On the political front, in 1994, he contested in the general elections and won a seat for the Palapye Constituency. He was an active member of the Botswana Democratic Party and served in various committees of the party including, Member of the Botswana Democratic Party Central Committee and Chairman of its Finance and Economic Committee, and Member of the Central Committee responsible for Letswapo Region from 1992 to 1995. He was also Member of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, Member of the Parliamentarians for Global Action based in New York and the Global Coalition for Africa based in Washington D.C.

President Mogae was also involved in community oriented organizations which include Kalahari Conservation Society, Botswana Society (Research Organisation) of which he is President, Lions Club of Palapye, President of the Botswana Society for the Deaf as well as being Patron of the Junior Achievement Botswana. 

President Mogae was awarded the highest honour of the Republic of Botswana, Naledi Ya Botswana (NYB) Gaborone (30th September 2003); Presidential Order of Honour of Botswana in 1989. 

He was also awarded over 20 others in recognition of his achievements and services from universities, other countries and international organisations. The latest being awarded to him only last week by the President of France, was the Legion of Honour which is the highest award given by the French Republic for outstanding service to France regardless of social status or nationality of the recipient. The Sorbonne University also awarded him the medal of the Sorbonne University.

He has earned so many awards - if I don't get any it will be because he has taken them all. A truly commendable and committed career to the service of this nation which very few I feel will ever be able to match.

I always wanted to call him number three, but as he was No.1 I thought it would be misunderstood. The reason for No.3 is because he was the 3rd Permanent Secretary, Finance, the 3rd Governor, 3rd Permanent Secretary to the President, 3rd Vice President and Minister of Finance, 3rd President and he has 3 children, and finally he retires at the end of the 3rd month of the year. 

I can inform you all that I and many others have enjoyed working with him, and benefiting from his experience and intelligence. Many people have tremendous experience in one field or the other but that does not make them good contributors in what they do. Many people are said to be very intelligent, but that too does not mean everything they do is well thought out. President Mogae is unique in that he has both these two attributes and together he has been able to provide what I can sum up in one word as wisdom in his leadership.

In his office when there were just the two of us I have observed this wisdom and guidance many times, and everyone in cabinet and at other forum in which he participated will testify to this fact.

Farewells have never been easy; they tend to evoke mixed emotions. When I should consolidate my resolve to do my best in my next national assignment I cannot ignore the responsibility that will be resting on my shoulders, especially that I will no longer have the freedom to say, 'Let me talk to the President.'

I value the lessons he taught me over the last 10 years when I served as his deputy. I would not want him to leave without knowing that I did learn a lot from him that will carry me through my own term of office.

He taught me to adjust to the extremely fluid world of politics and gave me his full support. He helped me adjust from the military life, where the word order is a predictable outcome and taught me to understand the word order in the civilian world where it sometimes means acceptable, consensus, or compromise. I hope I was not as troublesome a pupil as the media and those like them that never approve made me out to be. On my part, I can confirm that you were the best teacher I could ask for at this point in the politics of our country.

My parents instilled in me the grounding of what an upright citizen is expected to be.  They taught me responsibility to family and the nation. They had the opportunity to walk me through life as a member of a family.

Within the Botswana Democratic Party family I am glad that you were there as a parent when I experienced the rough and tumble and it is thanks to you that my sense of direction in politics and governance has been sharpened.

For all the work you have done, and that of those that were here before you, I undertake to grow the legacy of a democratic Botswana, a people at peace with themselves and their neighbours. May God go with you.