Indeed that came as a relief to the many who had longed for a regime change for years that the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) found itself in power. Mr President, it would appear Batswana were expressing their displeasure in the BDP’s complacency which had begun to build with time. Your election therefore comes as a signal of hope and a new beginning in this second republic. So, be reminded to buckle up and deliver on the electoral promises your party-the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) made. However, I do not wish to bore you more with politics but there is a pressing issue which I ought to bring to your attention. Media. It should be fundamentally respected and protected in your government- media. Media is the foundation upon which our democracy has stood upon for 58 years. The media saw this country through all the phases of its development.
You would note that from the days when Botswana was classified amongst the poorest in the world, a desert, as perceived by our then colonisers, media was then at an infancy stage. Botswana would in the 1970s discover diamonds which changed the course of its history. But it was still the media which told the story. Post diamonds and now heading towards the 1990s the journey as a developmental state although hailed a success in political literature, would then take a detour. We were derailed. The discovery of the HIV virus spelt doom for Botswana as this small nation stood helpless and ravaged by a marauding virus nobody knew of. With families burying their loved one’s every week -it took the leaders of that time to champion a fight to save the nation. At the time President Festus Mogae was at the helm. Nevertheless, it was health messaging through media which saw a glimmer of hope.
