What is beautiful about Botswana, which even amazes Africa's doomsayer's abroad, is that President Festus Gontebanye Mogae is whole-heartedly handing the baton to his second in command - Vice President Ian Khama Seretse Khama. Unlike his peers all over Africa and even closer to home, he is not having second thoughts about relinquishing power. He is a happy man because like he always says, he is handing the baton to yet another capable man in the mould of Ian Khama. Mogae says during his tenure he did it his own way. I believe Seretse Khama did it his own way too. When Q.K.J. Masire took over after Seretse Khama's demise he did not parrot his predecessor but also did it his own way. Ian Khama will also do it his own way. Come April 2008 Botswana's democracy will get revitalized and rejuvenated when the born leader - Ian Khama - takes over to continue implementing the revered BDP manifesto.
A lot of noise has been made by Ian Khama's detractors, especially from the opposition, that his ascendancy to the presidency will be the beginning of the annihilation of democracy in Botswana. The opposition paint him as an autocrat who is going to quash any dissenting voice and rule with an iron fist using the armed forces. They claim that the recently adopted Security and Intelligence Bill is his brainchild, meant to be used to suppress opposition.
