Khama sabotages Botswana’s diplomatic relations

Hardly a week after he was arrested and detained in Angola on suspicion of attending celebrations by the opposition MPLA, Khama was this week at it again. He posted on Facebook: “Hamas are using babies to man their command-and-control centres in Gaza. That’s why Palestinians babies are being massacred by Israel”. 

Khama’s unrestrained reckless pass time, has both foreign and domestic implications. Domestically, it serves as a serious distraction to both President Duma Boko and his Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) government to deliver on their election mandate. Batswana voted the UDC into power to deliver services and better their lives, not to manage residual risks of former presidents, specifically Ian Khama’s penchant for ruble rousing. 

Boko is new on the job and leading a nation at this time of geopolitical and economic turbulence is not an easy task. It requires laser-focus and utmost public support, not peripheral distraction. Besides, Khama’s conduct, is divisive and undermines the integrity of both the state and government. Sadly, Khama’s latest stunts look like a continuation of the same attitude displayed towards the past regime of Mokgweetsi Masisi. And it cannot be business as usual! 

If Khama does not respect President Boko, at least, he must respect the voices and choice of the many Batswana who voted him into office. That is what democracy is all about. This continued tendency of trying to reduce President Boko to a lame-duck President is out of sync with our normative ethics of Botho. 

The essence of foreign relations is sensitivity to others’ affairs and interests. It is common knowledge that our sister-country Mozambique is facing a plethora of challenges, including natural disasters, battling terrorism, and now post-election violence. The political and security environment there, is highly charged and volatile, therefore, our actions and conduct need to reflect this. 

However, Khama’s recent invitation of Venancio Mondlane cannot be said to be sensitive to these dynamics. In particular, it is insensitive to the cordial relations between Botswana and Mozambique. 

Countries are inherently sensitive to their national security, and Angola is no different. Lest we forget, during his tenure, Khama broke away from the norm- Botswana’s long time quite diplomacy particularly with colleagues in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region, and publicly attacked our northern neighbor, Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe. 

As for Khama’s recent comments about the Israel-Palestine conflict, he is desperately attempting to sanitize, justify and qualify Israel’s genocide agenda on helpless Palestinians. How does one qualify massacre of innocent children, it does not reflect well on Botswana as a nation. It does not matter which side he is on, he cannot to be seen to be doing the bidding for Israel’s killing of Palestinian children. Khama’s conduct is making the job for the new government, and in particular the Foreign Relations minister harder very day. He must be called to order forthwith! 

Khama’s continued public utterances on foreign relations matters, raises questions that include, whether he espouses the position of Botswana being a former president? If it is not, what is the position of Botswana? It will become dicey when we reach a point of Khama publicly differing with government of the day on these matters. 

These engagements challenge the current political climate, with emphasis on Botswana’s foreign relations. 

That America and Russia have chosen to remain silent on Khama’s public positions on foreign relations matters does not guarantee that they will forever do so. 

RASINA WINFRED RASINA