If at all Khama is a ‘ruthless dictator’ who detests the rule of law, then former president Mogae should take the blame for creating the monster that is President Khama. If Khama is a mess, he is a mess of his (Mogae) own making. Khama is Mogae’s creation. Period. While Mogae may have been pressurised to a certain extent to appoint Khama his deputy following a report by South African political consultant Professor Lawrence Schelmmer, it was the then president who eventually forced Khama to resign from the army to join politics in 1998. In the process Mogae overlooked other experienced politicians in the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) such as David Magang and Ponatshego Kedikilwe to appoint the first son of the late president Sir Seretse Khama his deputy. For his entire tenure as the President it was Mogae, the self-proclaimed democrat and constitutionalist who defended and allowed Khama to do as he wanted. It was president Mogae who gave Khama a controversial twelve months sabbatical leave few weeks after the 1999 general elections. When he recalled him from sabbatical leave he gave him sweeping powers and elevated him to something closer to ‘prime minister’ of the republic. To observers the uncharismatic but respected Mogae used Khama to shield himself from possible rebellion of the ruling party. When the Office of the Ombudsman attempted to censure Khama from flying the Botswana Defence Force aircrafts, Mogae like a charging guard dog came to Khama’s rescue and authorised him to continue flying military aircrafts to the chagrin of the opposition and the civil society. When his greenhorn deputy called BDP MPs ‘vultures’ for demanding salary hike, President Mogae nodded in affirmation supporting the heir apparent. When the BDP MPs threatened not to endorse Khama as vice president Mogae threatened to dissolve Parliament. There is no doubt that it was Mogae who also accelerated Khama’s rise within the ruling party structures. When Khama expressed interest in challenging Ponatshego Kedikilwe for the position of party chairman, Mogae publicly announced that he would back Khama against Kedikilwe. With the help of Mogae, Khama defeated Kedikilwe and took control of the BDP structures. For years Mogae/Khama faction ruthlessly dominated the party structures. It is perhaps surprising that the same man who groomed Khama to be his successor is now the same man who is complaining about his leadership style. Look who is crying now? Ntibinyane Ntibinyane Friday 15 August 2014 Mmegi
Posted on: Tue, 19 Aug 2014 05:55:27 +0000
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