Botswana's Predident Mokgweetsi Eric Keabetswe Masisi during an interview with 'The EastAfrican'. PHOTO | PETER DUBE | NMG
Former Botswana president Ian Khama always cut a lone figure on
the African diplomatic stage, but his successor, Mokgweetsi Masisi, has
proved the complete opposite.
Under Mr Khama, Botswana
occasionally distanced itself from its regional and continental allies,
and the England-born leader was seen to be closer to the West than his
fellow African leaders.
He differed with Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe, Kenya’s Uhuru Kenyatta and even China.
But not so President Masisi, now Khama’s sworn enemy, who seems to be undoing some of his predecessor’s signature policies.
In an interview with The EastAfrican, the Botswana leader said there are positive sides to the changes he is making.
“It’s good to have change, as long as it is well-ordered,” he said.
In 2014 after being elected deputy chairman of the Southern
African Development Community, Mr Khama skipped the ceremony when then
Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe took over the chairmanship.
He accused Mr Mugabe of rigging elections. Mr Mugabe hit back and labelled Mr Khama a political novice and an agent of the West.
Now
Mr Masisi is seeking better relations with Zimbabwe and has no issue
with President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s election in July 2018, which was
shrouded in controversy.
“I’m going to Victoria Falls for the Wildlife Summit at the invitation of President Mnangagwa,” he told The EastAfrican last week.
“When
the harmonised elections were held in Zimbabwe, we were part of the
Southern African Development Community team of observers and our own
team liaised with the African Union team and other observers, and the
findings were that the elections were held in a manner that sufficiently
legitimised the government of Zimbabwe. We recognised and applauded
that.”
In 2013, Botswana tried to block Kenyan
President Uhuru Kenyatta, from visiting the country while on trial at
the International Criminal Court.
“We made it clear
that he was not welcome in Botswana if he refused to go (to The Hague)
because it would mean that they do not know the rule of law,” said
former foreign affairs minister, Phandu Skelemani.
“You
can’t establish a court and refuse to go when it calls you. If he
refuses, he won’t set foot here,” the Botswana leader said at the time.
Gaborone
was to allow the Kenyan leader to visit in June 2016, after the case
was dismissed. Kenya and Botswana relations have since grown warmer.
Botswana
is among five Southern African nations that are demanding the right to
sell ivory. Calls for a lifting of the ban on the ivory trade were
renewed at the just-ended Wildlife Economy Summit in Victoria Falls,
Zimbabwe.
Ivory sales currently require approval from
the international community through the Convention on International
Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora.
“We cannot continue to be spectators while others debate and take decisions about our elephants,” President Masisi said.
President Mnangagwa also called the embargo unfair.
“We
are gravely concerned, however, by the one-size-fits-all approach.
Banning of trade is creeping into the Cites decision-making processes.
We call upon the institution to resist the temptation to be a policing
institution but instead to be a developmental organisation to promote
conservation and sustainable utilisation of all wildlife resources,” he
said.
In April, Mr Khama flew to India to meet Tibetan leader, Dalai Lama, against the wishes of his successor.
China
stands accused of religious and political suppression of Tibet. The
Dalai Lama was scheduled to visit Botswana in 2017, when Mr Khama was in
office.
China reacted by threatening to recall its
ambassador to Botswana, while Mr Khama remained defiant and said the
southern African country was not “a China colony.”
The Dalai Lama eventually cancelled his trip, citing exhaustion, which prevented the diplomatic tiff from escalating.
The new Botswana administration feared the April trip was likely to rub China, a key economic ally, the wrong way.
In
a clear sign that Botswana was now willing to repair relations with the
East Asian country, the Botswana Permanent Secretary to the President,
Carter Morupisi, told Mr Khama not to travel as the visit could create a
diplomatic row with China.
“We expect him to
understand as a former head of state, the position of Botswana on
international matters. It is important as citizens of this country to
appreciate and respect the sovereignty and the rights of Botswana when
it comes to international relations,” Mr Morupisi said at the time.
“It
is important to uphold and respect conventions and treaties that
Botswana is party to. We hope that for the image of the country at
international level, Khama does not undertake the trip.”
President Masisi says he did not understand what the anxiety was about China.
“We,
in Botswana, are very comfortable (with China) because we determine who
we relate with and how we relate,” President Masisi said.
President
Masisi has made it clear he intends to build relations across the
globe. He attended his first AU Heads of State Summit two months after
assuming office. In his first seven years in office, Mr Khama never
attended a UN General Assembly or AU summit.
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What is Botswana’s current foreign policy as it seems to have changed since you took over?
We guard our values, our peace and prosperity, which we created and earned. We guard our future.
Botswana belongs to Batswana, but it is not to suggest there is disregard or disdain for non-Batswanas.
If
anything, the making of Botswana is almost as much a function of the
input of non-Batswana as it is of the Batswana. We are acutely aware of
that.
Our being Batswana is inextricably connected to
the rest of the world. The relations we nurture and grow with other
nations are guided by commonly held values and principles. A commitment
to peaceful resolution of conflicts is welcome to help us journey
through the world.
We also want to position ourselves agilely in our foreign policy manoeuvres for the simple reason that we need the world.
We respect the ideals of multilateralism and the declaration of the United Nations charter to maintain world peace and order.
Botswana has always been isolated in the region. Will you change this outlook?
Realising
that we are a small country has compelled us to think outside the box
in terms of growing our economy, income levels and jobs at the same
time. A lot of that lies beyond the shores of Botswana.
So
we have to add value to the services and goods we produce to become
more competitive to the rest of the world that has the resources to pay
for them and return a profit, and therefore raise income levels.
We are also surrounded by friendly countries and it is important that we maintain those relations.
There has been pressure from the West over the lifting of the hunting ban...
I
will offer any nation 20-40 elephants on condition that they keep them
under the same conditions they would want us to keep them in Botswana.
After that we can start talking.
When
people in London or Copenhagen commute to work they would never expect
to encounter an elephant. If they did, you know who will be the loser?
There
are allegations that a powerful South African is attempting to
influence the succession politics in Botswana and straining relations
between the two countries?
We have a unique
situation where more Batswana are in South Africa than in Botswana. I do
not know of any Motswana who cannot associate with South Africa, even
by digging into their lineage.
I hardly know anyone in the North West, Gauteng and Limpopo who would not encounter the same situation.
Our
relations with South Africa are more than rock solid. The allegations,
which I’ve read, I am not in a position to determine whether they are
true because I’m not well informed on the truthfulness or lack thereof.
But those who may be involved know the truth.
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