We caught up with former president Ian Khama and asked him if he had a response to the statements recently made by his predecessor Festus Mogae, claiming he regrets choosing Khama as his Vice President.
Khama said: “I have always shown courtesy and respect for former President Mogae when he was my President, my boss, mentor and my elder. So, too when l became his President and so too today. I will never abandon that culture of respect as passed down to me.
“I also respect his right to voice his opinions whether l agree with them or not, which on one occasion he apologized to me for. His decisions of the past are his to wrestle with as to whether he regrets some of them as mistakes or not. So, having been my mentor for ten years the one thing that gives me comfort at least, is that l feel l am in good company with him, as we share something in common, in that l too have the same regrets about similar mistakes.”
Asked if he would engage further with his predecessor, Khama went on to say, “I believe that if former president Mogae, and in fact anyone else, feels they need to discuss anything with me they are free to contact me. It is best, I believe, that we discuss matters of importance face to face rather than make surprising statements in the public media before talking to each other. I trust you will agree with me, that this must be a better approach”.
