What’s next for the diamond deal?
Friday, December 06, 2024 | 2350 Views |
New deal: Boko and De Beers CEO, Al Cook, have already met several times PIC: BWPRESIDENCY
In his initial remarks after his ascension to the highest post President Duma Boko, said De Beers had been ready to walk away from its 55-year partnership with Botswana, adding that negotiated deals should not result in one side celebrating and another feeling cheated.
“A proper negotiation involves compromise, where you get a bit of what you wanted, the other person gets a bit,” he said. “Then you have a durable, sustainable agreement. “De Beers was considering walking away, not signing at all, a very dangerous position to be in as a country.”
But on the particularly sensitive question of cadre deployment, the BNF must tread very carefully.The issue deserves robust debate, not ideological enthusiasm. Recent public comments from the BNF leadership are reassuring: the party has said that government positions should be based on merit and competence rather than party membership, and that it does not have a specific cadre-deployment policy.That principle should remain firmly at the centre...