Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Government Communications in the Information Age by Dr. Jeff Ramsay, Coordinator BGCIS, published in the 22/3/09 edition of the Sunday Standard

source: Republic of Botswana (23/3/09): TAUTONA TIMES no 8 of 2009
The Weekly Electronic Press Circular of the Office of the President
"Democracy, Development, Dignity and Discipline"


D. Government Communications in the Information Age by Dr. Jeff Ramsay,
Coordinator BGCIS, published in the 22/3/09 edition of the Sunday Standard (Botswana) newspaper:

In recent years Governments, like other public institutions, have been scrambling to adapt themselves to the 24/7 communications challenges of what is commonly referred to as the Global Information Age.

The emergence of online communication allows individuals and institutions to instantly access and transfer information across geographic and linguistic boundaries. This has resulted in what some describe as the digital economy. In this view the ongoing global financial crisis differs from past downturns in that transactions are being driven by the channelling of online information as well as the primary forces of production, supply and demand. Perhaps part of the problem of finding a way out of the current spiral lies in a gap in our collective understanding of the relationship between these factors.

In such an era, Government communication can no longer be simply about exposing policies and programmes to the public, though this must remain a priority. As with much of the private services sector, the public service must also embrace the digital revolution by turning to interactive electronic platforms for service delivery. This is the basic
meaning of "eGovernance", which has now been recognised as a development priority.

In Botswana, the challenge of information age transformation has been made greater by the absence of a system to ensure that Government at all times communicates appropriate information in a timely, authoritative, coherent, coordinated and proactive manner, while also promptly responding to its customers concerns, queries and criticism. This is the gap that the Botswana Government Communications and Information System (hereafter BGCIS) was established to bridge. To fulfil its mission BGCIS has been given a mandate to manage and coordinate Government
communication as virtual network bringing together communications units in all line Ministries.

It remains a simple truth that communications works best for those who work at it. Even in the quietist of times it is difficult to overemphasize the importance to any society, more especially one organised on democratic principles, of a sound and proactive approach towards the provision of public information.

The concept of establishing a system to ensure Government provides the public with its positions and perspectives is not new. The roots of modern public communications can be traced at least as far back as the eighteenth century, coinciding with the emergence of the popular press - Thomas Carlyle's "Fourth Estate" - alongside enlightenment ideals of popular sovereignty rooted in the nation-state. As an early American President, James Madison, observed in 1822:

"A popular government without popular information or the means of acquiring it is but a prologue to a farce or tragedy, or perhaps both."

With the emergence of new forms of mass media, by the mid-twentieth century there was general recognition that in any system of public administration there is a constant need to appropriately communicate and market, the policies and programmes of the Government of the day before the court of public opinion. In this respect Governments not only have the right, but a responsibility to ensure that their perspectives are known to their customers. The multi-media environment also meant that there was a much greater need for internal communication and coordination to ensure that public information was disseminated in a credible manner.

The advent of online communications has resulted in a massive increase in the demand for public information, while instant networking leaves little room for institutions to respond in an ad-hoc manner. Ideally, communications should therefore become an integral part of policy development as well as delivery. In this way communications plans can be formulated across the cycle of policy development, delivery and refinement.

A 2003 UK policy review went further in its affirmation that Government communication ought to be viewed as an equal and equally respected third pillar in what was described as a governing "trinity" alongside policy making and service delivery. Public service communications must also be viewed as an instrument for dialogue; systems should be able to interactively engage individuals and institutions at all levels. In this respect one is mindful of the old adage that "two monologues do not make a dialogue".

While the words "information" and "communication" are often used interchangeably, they can be understood as signifying quite different things - information is knowledge which may be given out, while communication is knowledge that gets through, thus empowering the recipient.

To be effective Government communications strategies need to embrace an integrated approach to "getting through", from speeches through advertising to public relations, so that, taken together, they make a strategic contribution to policy and delivery aims and objectives. An interactive approach to public communication ought to, thus, go beyond day-to-day news handling to incorporate a portfolio of skills that, as in best practice private companies, also includes research, marketing, web site provision, internal communications and advertising.

The need to take a more proactive approach towards public communications has an international as well as domestic context. With globalisation, the national interest, as well as image, will inevitably be challenged by external media agendas. This is all the more true for smaller, less developed nations. Past difficulties countering the disinformation
campaigns of some international actors can be seen as a warning that we can no longer afford to leave the definition of our global profile to others. Yet, achieving global understanding of Botswana's position towards a particular controversy can not occur when there is domestic misunderstanding resulting from confused, contradictory or insufficient public outreach.

More broadly in a democracy public communications should seek to instil a sense of belonging. The words "communication" and "community" have a common root - communication being that which binds a community together, ensuring mutual understanding as well as promoting common values and shared aspirations.

Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs' Expression of Concern about the "BILLBOARD" Cartoon appearing in the 16/3/09 edition of the Monitor Newspaper

source: Republic of Botswana (23/3/09): TAUTONA TIMES no 8 of 2009
The Weekly Electronic Press Circular of the Office of the President
"Democracy, Development, Dignity and Discipline"


C7) 18/3/09: Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs' Expression of Concern about the "BILLBOARD" Cartoon appearing in the 16/3/09 edition of the Monitor Newspaper:

Botswana has made significant progress on matters relating to gender equality and in educating Batswana on matters relating to domestic violence including sexual violence and abuse. We therefore believe all stakeholders including the media should carry this message forward. It is in this context that the Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs would like to raise a concern with the management of the Monitor newspaper regarding the cartoon - BILLBOARD that appeared on page 6 of Monitor, published Monday 16/03/2009.

The Ministry found the cartoon to be offensive and demeaning to women. As the Ministry responsible for gender issues and upliftment of the status of women in Botswana, we found the cartoon to be profiling and stereotyping women sexually and as objects of sexual abuse and
harassment which defeats the national efforts in raising the status of women in the country and in achieving gender equality and mutual respect between men and women.

The Ministry would like to put it forward to you that we totally object to the cartoon as it depicts women as objects of amour. The picture is sending wrong messages to readers who obviously may have different interpretations and understanding to it. Women should be seen as partners in development as opposed to objects of sexual humiliations. We therefore strongly advise the newspaper to always exercise professional integrity and evaluate the negative impact of the pictorial messages posted through the BILLBOARD.

Attorney General departs for month at Cornell Law School

source: Republic of Botswana (23/3/09): TAUTONA TIMES no 8 of 2009
The Weekly Electronic Press Circular of the Office of the President
"Democracy, Development, Dignity and Discipline"


C6) 20/3/09: Attorney General departs for month at Cornell Law School

Members of the public are informed that the Attorney-General, Dr. Athaliah Molokomme, will be departing for the United States where she will spend the next month as a Visiting Scholar at the Cornell University Law School.

With the approval of H.E. the President, the Attorney General has taken leave to accept the Cornell offer, which will last from March 21st to April 24th 2009.

During Dr. Molokomme's absence, Mr. Abram Keetshabe will serve as the acting Attorney General.

As a Visiting Scholar at Cornell, the Attorney-General will only be compensated for expenses.

Government appreciates the Cornell offer as an honour that is reflective of the Attorney General's international standing as a leading scholar of jurisprudence.

TICAD/UNDP - Botswana/Tokyo International Conference on African Development Ministerial Follow-up Meeting

source: Republic of Botswana (23/3/09): TAUTONA TIMES no 8 of 2009
The Weekly Electronic Press Circular of the Office of the President
"Democracy, Development, Dignity and Discipline"


C4)17/3/09: TICAD/UNDP - Botswana/Tokyo International Conference on
African Development Ministerial Follow-up Meeting

High-ranking officials of the Government of Japan led by Foreign Minister Hirofumi Nakasone, representatives of African, Asian and donor countries, regional and international organizations, the private sector and civil society, will gather in Gaborone, Botswana during 21-22 March 2009, to review the achievements made in the past nine months since the presentation of the Yokohama Action Plan at the Fourth Tokyo International Conference on Africa Development (TICAD IV) held from 28 to 30 May 2008 in Yokohama. The discussions will focus on boosting economic growth, achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the impact of the global economic crisis.

What: Tokyo International Conference on African Development Ministerial Follow-up Meeting

When: Saturday 21 March - Sunday 22 March 2009

Where: Gaborone, Botswana

A press conference on the outcome of the conference is scheduled for 22 March 2009.

For further information, please contact Mr. Nicholas N. Gouede (communications contact for the TICAD co-organizers), TICAD/UNDP Africa Bureau, New York.

Email: nicholas.gouede@undp.org; mobile in Gaborone: +267 744 00 816; or
visit the TICAD Website: www.ticad.net:

To access the TICAD IV Progress Status List of the Yokohama Action Plan, please click on the following links:
http://www.mofa.go.jp/region/africa/ticad/ticad4/mechanism.html

MORE ABOUT THE TICAD MINISTERIAL FOLLOW-UP MEETING:

The two-day ministerial-level meeting will be hosted by the Government of Botswana and convened by the TICAD co-organizers, namely the Government of Japan, the United Nations Office of the Special Advisor on Africa (UN-OSAA), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Bank.

As the first major event in the aftermath of TICAD IV, the Gaborone meeting will provide an important forum to engage in substantive policy dialogue between African representatives and international partners to mobilize efforts to support the development of the continent.

The 2008 TICAD IV was attended by over 3,000 participants, including 41 heads of State and government from Africa, 77 executive heads and representatives from international and regional organizations, private
sector and civil society, and notable individuals, who contributed greatly to the discussions. Also participating in the conference were high-level representatives including ministerial-level participants from 34 partner countries, the G-8 and other industrialized nations as well as Asian countries. The Government of Japan fed the results of TICAD IV
into the G-8 Hokkaido Summit held from 7 to 9 July 2008.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation - Botswana condemns unconstitutional change of government in Madagascar

source: Republic of Botswana (23/3/09): TAUTONA TIMES no 8 of 2009
The Weekly Electronic Press Circular of the Office of the President
"Democracy, Development, Dignity and Discipline"


C3) 18/3/09: Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation - Botswana condemns unconstitutional change of government in Madagascar

The Government of the Republic of Botswana condemns in the strongest terms the unconstitutional change of Government that took place in Madagascar on 17 March 2009.

The Government of Botswana has in the recent weeks been following with concern the deteriorating political situation in the SADC member state of Madagascar, due to some political wrangling between the elected President Mr. Marc Ravalomanana and the Mayor of Antananarivo Mr. Andry Rajolina. Botswana had hoped that all sides would work towards a peaceful resolution, which is consistent with the democratic process and the Constitution of that country. Regrettably, the Military in Madagascar, in a move that is unconstitutional, forced the resignation of President Ravalomanana and in turn appointed opposition leader Mr. Andry Rajolina as President of Madagascar.

The appointment of Mr. Rajolina as president cannot be accepted as it does not only violate the democratic process and Constitution in Madagascar, but it violates the core principles of SADC, the African Union and the United Nations.

Botswana therefore does not and cannot recognise the appointment of Mr. Andry Rajolina as President of Madagascar.

Botswana calls on the other SADC and AU member states to do the same and bring pressure to bear on the authorities in Madagascar to return that country back to democratic rule.

President Khama in London a) Photo link and b) News Brief

source: Republic of Botswana (23/3/09): TAUTONA TIMES no 8 of 2009
The Weekly Electronic Press Circular of the Office of the President
"Democracy, Development, Dignity and Discipline"



C2) 17/3/09: President Khama in London a) Photo link and b) News Brief


C2a) Photo of H.E. the President w/ other African leaders at yesterday's meeting with the British Prime Minister Brown

Below please find photo [initial mailing] of H.E. President Khama w/ other African leaders at yesterday's meeting with the British Prime Minister the Rt. Honourable Gordon Brown at Lancaster House, the original photo can now be found @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/34189553@N02/3359671221

C2b) News Brief - President Khama in London

H.E. the President Lt. Gen. Seretse Khama Ian Khama and other selected African leader held consultations in London yesterday with the British Prime Minister the Rt. Hon. Gordon Brown, in order to articulate Africa's agenda for the upcoming Summit meeting of the world's leading 20 industrialised nations on the global financial crisis, which is scheduled to convene on 2nd April.

The Africa outreach consultations at Lancaster House were preceded by a closed session of the African leaders, who also included President Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania, President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf of Liberia, Prime Minister Raila Odinga of Kenya and Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia, as well as Finance Ministers from Nigeria, South Africa, Egypt, Cameroon, Cape Verde and Rwanda, as well as Botswana. Eleven countries in total were represented.

Central bank chiefs plus delegates from pan-African bodies, including the African Union, also attended.

The African Development Bank President, Donald Kaberuka, presented the continent's position paper at the group discussions, which also attended by the Chairman of the AU Commission, Mr. Jean Ping, while the Tanzanian President Kikwete briefed the group on the deliberations of last week's meeting between IMF and African finance ministers in Dar es Salaam.

President Khama was accompanied by Minister of Finance and Development Planning, Mr. Baledzi Gaolathe, Governor of the Bank of Botswana, Ms Linah Mohohlo and senior government officials.

Also additional reporting from the BBC: "Downturn 'risks Africa conflict'": http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/africa/7947321.stm

Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation: Governor General of Australia visits Botswana

source: Republic of Botswana (23/3/09): TAUTONA TIMES no 8 of 2009
The Weekly Electronic Press Circular of the Office of the President
"Democracy, Development, Dignity and Discipline"


C1) 18/3/09: Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation: Governor General of Australia visits Botswana

The Governor General of Australia, Her Excellency Ms Quentin Bryce AC will pay a two day visit to Botswana from the 23 to 24 March 2009, at the invitation of H.E the President Lt. Gen. S.K.I. Khama.

Botswana and Australia established bilateral relations in February 2003 and the cooperation between the two countries has been growing rapidly in a wide range of fields including Human Resource Development, Capacity Building, Sports and Agriculture.

Governor General Bryce will, during the visit, hold official talks with His Excellency, President Lieutenant General Seretse Khama Ian Khama. This will be followed by courtesy calls on the Governor General by the Speaker of the National Assembly, Honourable Patrick P. Balopi, Leader of the Opposition at the National Assembly Honourable Otsweletse Moupo, and the Minister of Local Government, Honourable Margaret Nasha. Governor General Bryce will also visit SOS Children's village in Tlokweng village.

H. H. Lt.Gen. Mompati s. Merafhe on Opening of the fourth Tokyo International Conference on African Development Ministerial follow-up Meeting

source: Republic of Botswana (23/3/09): TAUTONA TIMES no 8 of 2009
The Weekly Electronic Press Circular of the Office of the President
"Democracy, Development, Dignity and Discipline"

21/3/09: STATEMENT BY HIS HONOUR LT. GEN. MOMPATI S. MERAFHE, MP, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF BOTSWANA, ON THE OCCASION OF THE OFFICIAL OPENING OF THE FOURTH TOKYO INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT (TICAD IV) MINISTERIAL FOLLOW-UP MEETING HELD IN GABORONE, BOTSWANA, 21-22/3/09:


Your Excellency the Former Prime Minister of Japan, Mr. Yasuo Fukuda;
[Salutations]....Ladies and Gentlemen;

1. Let me start by welcoming you all to Botswana, and to Gaborone
in particular. It is an honour and a privilege to receive so many of you
amongst us. That you left the comfort of your homes and travelled long
distances to be here today demonstrates your goodwill and friendship
towards us. This also demonstrates your commitment to the TICAD process.
Please feel at home!

2. You are welcome to stay a little longer after the conference to
spoil yourselves with the pristine beauty of our countryside and, of
course, the friendship and hospitality of our people. I wish to extend a
special word of welcome to the representatives of the Government of
Japan, who hosted us during successive TICAD meetings. We are
particularly delighted to have this opportunity to reciprocate the
hospitality and friendship extended to us by the Government and people
of Japan.

3. Mr. Chairman, Botswana is honoured to host this first TICAD IV
Ministerial Follow-up Meeting in collaboration with the Government of
Japan. I wish to thank the Government of Japan and other TICAD
co-organisers for the confidence they have shown in us by selecting
Botswana to co-host this important Meeting. May I also pay tribute to
former Prime Minister Fukuda for his excellent chairmanship during TICAD
IV in Yokohama last year, and thank him personally for gracing this
important occasion.

4. TICAD IV introduced two key concepts; that of accentuating
Africa's ownership of its development programmes and creating a
partnership with Japan and other partners. This Ministerial Follow-up
Meeting is one of the three structures created to ensure effective
implementation of initiatives adopted by the TICAD IV Summit. In the
next two days you will therefore be reviewing progress made,
particularly in the implementation of the Yokohama Action Plan. The
Action Plan encapsulates a number of development programmes to be
carried out in the next five years.

5. There is no better blueprint for our ambitious plan to bring
relief and launch Africa on its path of sustainable development. The
review of the Action Plan therefore becomes a necessary process to
fulfil our noble objective. Your active participation in this regard
needs no further emphasis.

6. Mr. Chairman, this meeting takes place against the backdrop of a
global financial crisis. Those in the know are painting a very gloomy
picture. I am aware that a whole session will be devoted to the Global
Financial Crisis. But it is important to highlight some of our concerns
at this point in time, especially the effect this phenomenon is bound to
have on our economies.

7. By all accounts, Sub-Saharan Africa's economic growth is bound
to fall to an average of 3.3 per cent from a previous figure of 6.6 per
cent average. Of the 43 countries classified as facing high exposure to
poverty risks as a result of global economic crisis, 26 are from Africa,
including Botswana. Commodity prices are on a downward spiral. This
reduces in real terms income flows for the developing countries and
impacts negatively on their economic growth. The gains made in the
previous years are under threat of being completely eroded.

8. The global financial and economic crisis is by far the greatest
challenge we face in our modern times. But as the saying goes, "in every
dark cloud there is a silver lining". The crisis offers some
opportunity. We must see the crisis as a clarion call for us as
Governments and individuals to revisit our expenditure patterns; to
eliminate inefficiencies and waste; direct our safety nets to those who
need them most; and quicken the transformation of our economies so that
we can benefit when the global economy picks up. These steps must be
cognisant of the fact that, Africa is the only continent lagging behind
in achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

9. The onus for action lies with us, and we have to be bold,
disciplined and accountable in shouldering this responsibility. However,
Africa cannot do it alone. In this hour of need, it is without doubt
that Africa needs the support of all her development partners as she
navigates out of this tenuous situation.

10. Mr. Chairman, although much of what I said was eloquently
expressed during TICAD IV, this meeting affords us the opportunity to
underscore the same concerns, and to determine what cause of action to
take. It also provides an important opportunity to articulate African
concerns ahead of the G-20 Summit in April.

11. I am pleased to note that the Government of Japan has indicated
its willingness to convey our agreed concerns to the G-20 leaders at
their forthcoming Summit. This is a commendable and excellent example of
the TICAD partnership at work. It is also a demonstration of the
continued proactive leadership by Japan, which last year successfully
conveyed the African views expressed in Yokohama to both the Rome Food
Summit and the Toyako G-8 Summit.

12. Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, at a time when the liquidity
crunch is affecting rich and poor countries alike, it is heartening to
hear confirmation of the Government of Japan's intention to fulfil its
TICAD commitment of doubling aid to Africa over the next five years. I
must express our deep appreciation to both Japan and the World Bank for
the other support measures, which include the establishment of the
recapitalisation fund and trade financing facility, to mitigate the
adverse impact of the economic crisis on the developing countries.

13. As we evaluate the performance of the Government of Japan and
our other partners on their commitments, Africa must however ensure that
necessary measures are in place to improve governance, implement sound
economic policies, and create the basis for broad-based growth and
development. That is our responsibility and ours alone. This meeting
serves as a call for action; and in responding to this call; we must
focus on the fundamentals.

14. The importance of infrastructure, agriculture, and human
resource development were the main themes highlighted at TICAD-IV, as
areas where the challenges are matched by Africa's potential. First and
foremost, it is a fact that economic growth rates have direct
implications for human welfare. For example, lower growth rates will
sharply slow progress in reducing infant mortality. Preliminary World
Bank estimates for 2009 to 2015 forecast infant deaths in developing
countries to average 200,000 to 400,000 per year, higher than they would
have been in the absence of the crisis. This means that a total of 1.4
to 2.8 million more infants may die if the crisis persists. We cannot
afford to be complacent in this regard, because the well-being of future
generations is at stake.

15. Secondly, we must focus our efforts on reducing Africa's
infrastructure deficit. Better infrastructure is fundamental if we are
to be ready to reap the benefits when the global economy improves.

16. Mr. Chairman, the HIV and AIDS epidemic is exacting a heavy toll
on our continent. Sub-Saharan Africa is worst affected by the scourge
and Southern Africa region is the epicentre of the pandemic. I am happy
to say that Botswana, as a country, is making significant gains in the
fight against HIV and AIDS. By June 2008, we expanded antiretroviral
coverage to an estimated 93 percent of the affected population. These
concerted efforts, together with the introduction of a routine HIV
testing policy, have successfully halved the number of AIDS-related
deaths in Botswana. We are grateful for the assistance extended to us in
this area by our cooperating partners, including Japan.

17. Mr. Chairman, one of the opportunities that I would like to
emphasise is the regional approach to solving our development
challenges. Regional integration holds great promise, because we can go
beyond the traditional country-by-country approach and benefit from
economies of scale. Through collaboration we stand to learn from each
others experiences. I would like to commend the Government of Japan for
supporting South-South cooperation, and for fostering Africa-Asia and
Africa-Africa cooperation. Once again, I thank the Government of Japan
for its continued support to Africa.

18. The same gratitude goes to the other co-organisers of the TICAD
process namely: the World Bank; UNDP; and UN Office of Special Adviser
on Africa for their support. May I now declare this TICAD Ministerial
Follow-up Meeting official opened! I thank you for your attention!

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Response to Gazette article "Police Jealous of DIS - Minister"

source: Republic of Botswana (17/3/09): TAUTONA TIMES no 7 of 2009
The Weekly Electronic Press Circular of the Office of the President
"Democracy, Development, Dignity and Discipline"


C6) 14/3/09: Response to Gazette article "Police Jealous of DIS - Minister"

With reference to the article "Police Jealous of DIS - Minister", which appeared in the 11th March 2009 edition of the Botswana Gazette newspaper, we believe that there is a need for clarification.

While it is true that the Hon. Minister for Defence, Justice and Security acknowledged the possibility that some degree of institutional jealousy may have been directed towards the Directorate of Intelligence and Security (DIS) at the time of its inception, he did not say nor otherwise mean to imply that this has currently resulted in bad blood between it and the Police Service.

We wish to here once more emphasize that the two organizations are effectively cooperating with each other when called upon to do so, as is indeed suggested elsewhere in the article.

In this context we view the heading of the article as misleading as it does not relate to the full content of the article, much less the substance of the interview.

We are concerned that if left uncorrected the article has the potential to encourage the very rivalry its headline falsely suggests. Thank you.

Press Release - Directorate of Intelligence and Security (DIS)

source: Republic of Botswana (17/3/09): TAUTONA TIMES no 7 of 2009
The Weekly Electronic Press Circular of the Office of the President
"Democracy, Development, Dignity and Discipline"



C3) 13/3/09: Press Release - Directorate of Intelligence and Security (DIS)

* Public cautioned about individuals falsely representing themselves as DIS officers
* DIS Toll Free Number - 0 800 600761

The Directorate of Intelligence and Security (DIS) wishes to inform members of the public that there have of late been instances in which criminal elements have masqueraded as DIS agents in order to try to gain entry into properties for the purpose of stealing.

In recent weeks four such instances - in Mahalapye, Palapye and Sebebi-Phikwe and Gaborone - have resulted in arrests and convictions.

In each of the four cases the criminals had tried to gain access to properties by claiming that they were looking for certain individuals or other members of the DIS. While the owners of the homes were thus distracted by the impostors their fellow criminals would gain entry in the dwelling in order to grab keys and/or other valuables.

In the above context, members of the public are reminded that, in accordance with Section 22 of the Intelligence and Security Service Act, like other law enforcement agencies, DIS personnel are required to obtain a warrant from a senior magistrate or a judge of the High Court before entering any premises for the purpose of carrying out their investigations.

The powers of DIS personnel to otherwise gain access without a warrant are limited to situations in which a officer may "for the purpose of effecting an arrest, enter and search any premises or place if he or she has reason to believe that there is in the premises or place a person who is to be arrested."

In such cases the Act, however, further mandates that a DIS officer or support staff "shall not enter any premises or place unless the officer or support staff has first stated that he or she is an officer or support staff and the purpose for which he or she seeks entry and produced his or her identity card to any person requesting production."

Members of the public are also advised that Sections 17 and 18 of the Act make it a criminal offence for any one to falsely represent themselves as being officers, support staff or otherwise associated with DIS.

Any members of the public who believe that they may have been victims of individuals who falsely represent themselves as being associated with DIS are encouraged to contact the office of the DIS Director General at the following toll free number with their concerns - 0 800 600761.

This week in Parliament

source: Republic of Botswana (17/3/09): TAUTONA TIMES no 7 of 2009
The Weekly Electronic Press Circular of the Office of the President
"Democracy, Development, Dignity and Discipline"


Reproduced below for your further information are the full texts of the Minister's responses in Parliament this morning:

10/3/09: QUESTION NO: 460 ASKED BY Mr. M. N. Modubule, MP (Lobatse):

To ask the Minister for Defence, Justice and Security whether the Leader of the Opposition was consulted on the appointment of the Parliamentary Committee on Intelligence and Security and the setting of the tribunal, if so, where and how did the consultation process take place and what was the response of the Leader of the Opposition

ANSWER

Mr. Speaker, the Leader of the Opposition was consulted on the appointments to the Parliamentary Committee on Intelligence and Security and the Tribunal. I must also state that the Speaker of the National Assembly was also consulted.

Mr. Speaker, the President called the Leader of the Opposition to his office where the President indicated to him that in accordance with the powers conferred on him (the President) under Sections 31 (3) and 39 (2) of the Intelligence and Security Service Act, 2007, he had names of people that he considered suitable for appointment to these structures. The President confirmed that he was presenting these names to him the Leader of the Opposition for his comments or views.

Upon being presented with these names the Leader of the Opposition told the President that he had no problems with the names and the appointments. It is at this stage Mr. Speaker, that one would have reasonably expected the Leader of the Opposition if he had contrary views or preferences with the appointments or manner of consultation to have expressed the same to the President.

The Honourable House will however, recall that the Leader of the Opposition in his comments on the Committee of Supply debates on the budget for departments under Defence, Justice and Security confirmed that he did not express his views/preferences but rather he concurred reluctantly though, with the President on the appointments. This confirms that there was consultation.

Mr. Speaker, I have also confirmed with the Speaker of the National Assembly on the same matter and the Speaker of the National Assembly confirms that the names were presented to him in the same manner and he also had no problems with the names or the appointments.

Mr. Speaker, finally, it is my considered view that the Leader of the Opposition was consulted on the subject matter at hand but he failed to use the opportunity to engage with the President if he had contrary views. I thank you Mr. Speaker.

QUESTION NO. 457 asked by Mr. N. M. Modubule, MP (Lobatse)

To ask the Minister for Defence, Justice and Security why the construction of the Offices of the Directorate of Public Prosecutions has not been provided for in the financial year 2009/2010 as was promised by the Minister in response to Question Number 811 on the 17th August 2007.

ANSWER

Mr. Speaker, although the construction of the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) offices in Lobatse was not mentioned in the Committee of Supply Speech, the project has been provided for under the Directorate's development budget for 2009/2010. The DPP budget presented amounted to Sixty Six Million and Twenty Six Thousand, Five Hundred and Thirty Nine Pula (P66 026 539). Of this amount, Five Million Pula (P5 000 000) is earmarked for the completion of designs and the commissioning of a contractor for the office. This budget allocation is contained in the Estimates Book which was presented before and approved by this Parliament.

Mr. Speaker, since my response in August 2007, we have been able to do a site suitability report, preliminary Environmental Impact Assessment (for exemption from full EIA), Topographic Survey, Geo-Technical Survey, preliminary design and a detailed design, which is currently at 85%. The designs are expected to be completed by end of April, 2009. I therefore expect the commissioning of a contractor to start work in the third quarter of 2009.

Mr. Speaker, I am happy to inform this Honourable House that further to the progress mentioned above, other activities were undertaken such as procurement of vehicles, computers and securing of rented office space to ensure that the DPP office becomes operational whilst awaiting construction of permanent office accommodation. I thank you Mr. Speaker.

Minister Seretse - Leader of the Opposition consulted on appointment of Parliamentary Committee on Intelligence and Security

source: Republic of Botswana (17/3/09): TAUTONA TIMES no 7 of 2009
The Weekly Electronic Press Circular of the Office of the President
"Democracy, Development, Dignity and Discipline"


C2) 10/3/09: Minister Seretse - Leader of the Opposition consulted on appointment of Parliamentary Committee on Intelligence and Security

The Minister for Defence, Justice and Security, the Hon. R.N. Seretse, today re-confirmed that the Leader of the Opposition had been consulted on the appointment of the Parliamentary Committee on Intelligence and Security, as well as the setting of the Tribunal.

Responding to a question by the MP for Lobatse, Mr. M.N. Modubule, the Minister stated that, in accordance with provisions of the Intelligence and Security Service Act, 2007, both the Leader of the Opposition and the Speaker of the National Assembly had been consulted on the appointments to the Parliamentary Committee and the Tribunal.

The Minister further stated that H.E. the President had called the Leader of the Opposition to his office, where the President had indicated the names of people that he considered suitable for appointment to the two oversight structures, in order to seek the Opposition Leader's comments or views.

The Minister further stated that, upon being presented with the names, the Leader of the Opposition told the President that he had no problems with the appointments. The Minister further emphasized that had the Leader of the Opposition held any contrary views or preferences about either the appointments or the manner of consultation he then had the opportunity to express his views to the President.

The Minister went on to remind Parliament that the Leader of the Opposition in his own comments on the Committee of Supply debates on the budget for departments under Defence, Justice and Security had himself confirmed that he did not express his any contrary views or preferences but had rather reluctantly concurred with the President on the appointments.

The Minister also affirmed that the Speaker of the National Assembly had been consulted in the same manner as the Leader of the Opposition and that he also had had no problems with the names or the appointments.

The Minister observed that it was thus his considered view that, having been consulted, if the Leader of the Opposition had any contrary views he failed to use the opportunity to engage with the President on them.

On a separate matter the Minister, again responding to a question raised by the MP for Lobatse, confirmed that although the construction of the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) offices in Lobatse had not been mentioned in the Committee of Supply Speech, the project has been provided for under the Directorate's development budget for 2009/2010.

He further noted that out of the DPP budget of just over 66 Million pula the amount of 5 Million was earmarked for the completion of designs and the commissioning of a contractor for the office. He further noted that the budget allocation is contained in the Estimates Book which was presented before and approved by this Parliament.

He also observed that since August 2007, Government had been able to do a site suitability report, preliminary Environmental Impact Assessment (for exemption from full EIA), Topographic Survey, Geo-Technical Survey, preliminary design and a detailed design. The designs are expected to be completed by end of April, 2009, which should allow for the commissioning of a contractor to start work in the third quarter of 2009.

Press Release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation - President Khama to attend G20 summit Consultative Meeting in London

source: Republic of Botswana (17/3/09): TAUTONA TIMES no 7 of 2009
The Weekly Electronic Press Circular of the Office of the President
"Democracy, Development, Dignity and Discipline"


C1) 12/3/09: Press Release from the Ministry of Foreign affairs and International Cooperation - PRESIDENT KHAMA TO ATTEND G20 SUMMIT CONSULTATIVE MEETING IN LONDON, UK

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation wishes to announce that His Excellency Lieutenant General Seretse Khama Ian Khama the President of the Republic of Botswana will on Saturday the 14th March travel to the United Kingdom to attend a consultative meeting in London on the 16th March 2009. The consultative meeting will be held in advance on the G20 London Summit scheduled for 2nd April.

The G20 London Summit is aimed at addressing the current international financial crisis and economic slow down and to determine ways in which the international community can stimulate economic growth. Botswana welcomes the convening of the Monday 16th meeting as it offers an opportunity for broad consultations on the crucial issues affecting the global economy and in particular the developing countries.

His Excellency the President will attend the meeting at the invitation of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom the Right Honourable Mr. Gordon Brown.

His Excellency the President will be accompanied by the Minister of Finance and Development Planning Hon. Baledzi Gaolathe, the Governor of the Bank of Botswana Ms Linah Mohohlo and senior government officials.

Statement by H.E. Lt. Gen. Seretse Khama Ian Khama on the Celebration of the 41st Anniversary of Independence of Mauritius

source: Republic of Botswana (17/3/09): TAUTONA TIMES no 7 of 2009
The Weekly Electronic Press Circular of the Office of the President
"Democracy, Development, Dignity and Discipline"



B1) 12/3/09: STATEMENT BY H.E. LT. GEN. SERETSE KHAMA IAN KHAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF BOTSWANA, AT A STATE BANQUET HOSTED IN HIS HONOUR ON THE OCCASSION OF THE CELEBRATION OF THE 41st ANNIVERSARY OF INDEPENDENCE OF MAURITIUS, PORT LOUIS, MAURITIUS


The Right Honourable Prime Minister, Dr Navinchandra Ramgoolam and Madam Veena Brizmohum [Salutations]... Ladies and Gentlemen,

1. Let me begin by expressing my gratitude to you Honourable Prime Minister for the warm welcome extended to me and my delegation since our arrival in your beautiful country. It is indeed a special honour and privilege for me to have been invited to your beautiful island state on this happy occasion marking the 41st Anniversary of Independence and this also marks my first ever visit to Mauritius.

2. As an anniversary is an occasion for reflection - for looking back and looking ahead - I am particularly delighted to be here today to join you in these happy celebrations and to bear witness to your achievements of the past four decades.

3. It gives me great pleasure, therefore, on behalf of the Government and people of Botswana to congratulate you, Right Honourable Prime Minister, the Government and people of Mauritius for your four decades of democracy, stability, economic and social progress.

4. At forty-one years, Mauritius has transformed into a mature state with strong national institutions and democratic traditions. We look up to you to continue to lead the way in Africa in areas where you have demonstrated that our continent can achieve high standards of development and social progress.

5. Botswana and Mauritius may be separated geographically but there are many similarities between us that serve as the foundation for strong relations. These include, amongst others, our strong commitment to the values of democracy, respect for human rights and the rule of law.

6. Many of my compatriots have been here or visit annually attracted by our shared values, the hospitality of Mauritians and the natural beauty of your country.

7. Botswana too has benefited from our exchanges with several of your nationals playing key roles in our development and the economy as a whole. Some of these Mauritians have made Botswana their home and have become successful entrepreneurs.

8. Right Honourable Prime Minister, Botswana has great admiration for the able manner in which Mauritius has built a prosperous economy. Mauritius has developed from a low-income, agriculturally based economy to a middle-income diversified economy with growing industrial, financial, and tourist sectors. I am convinced that we can exchange experiences and benefit from the expertise Mauritius has acquired over the years.

10. I wish to conclude by underlining the need for our countries to make greater efforts to work together and strengthen one another in the international economic and political scene. As Botswana and Mauritius are small developing states, a close working relationship between the two would go a long way to ensure growth and a stronger voice on issues of mutual concern and interest.

12. I wish to end by reaffirming my commitment and that of my Government to work with you and your Government.

13. On that note Right Honourable Prime Minister, Honourable Ministers, Excellencies, Distinguished Ladies and gentlemen please join me in drinking a toast to:

-The continued good health and happiness of His Excellency Sir Anerood Jugnauth, President of the Republic of Mauritius;
-Continued peace and prosperity for the people of Mauritius; and,
-Friendship, solidarity and mutually beneficial cooperation between Botswana and Mauritius.

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Press Statement in Response to media reports on the Executive Caravan

Republic of Botswana (10/3/09): TAUTONA TIMES no 6 of 2009 The Weekly Electronic Press Circular of the Office of the President “Democracy, Development, Dignity and Discipline”

C5) 6/3/09: Press Statement in Response to media reports on the Executive Caravan:


In recent days a number of reports have appeared in the press with respect to the purchase of the Executive Caravan for His Excellency the President.

In as much as this Office respects the role of the press in providing a platform for comment and debate on this, as well as all other items of public expenditure, we likewise recognise our own responsibility to respond to some of the issues that have arisen about the purchase.

In particular, one Member of Parliament has been quoted in the press (e.g. Mmegi 26/2/09) as wondering who authorized the purchase of the caravan, further alleging that Office of the President had only made the request for an installment of payments after it had already made a decision to buy the vehicle.

To set the record straight, the Executive Caravan was, in fact, included in last year’s budgetary submission, which was publicly present to Parliament (i.e. the 2008-09 Committee of Supply Speech). In this respect we further wish to note that the suggestion that there has been an installment of payments is incorrect, it is a one off payment.

Contrary to the suggestion that the Executive Caravan is an extravagance, this Office would once more observe that its purpose is to provide accommodation for His Excellency the President when he is travelling around the country. In this respect it will serve as a substitute for hotels, while making up for absence of appropriate accommodation in many communities. In such ways, the caravan will result in cost savings.

The caravan will also allow for greater flexibility in His Excellency the President movements, affording him the opportunity of greater engagement with people living in rural and remote areas.

We would also wish to note that, contrary to what has been suggested in some quarters, the Functions, Pay and Privileges for the President are a matter of record before Parliament.

Given the above, this Office feels justified in reiterating last week’s comment by the Acting Minister of Presidential Affairs and Public Administration that the feigning of ignorance about Executive Caravan by some Members of Parliament is indeed surprising.

[search for 'caravan' @ Palapye.com News Blog]

Ministry of Communications, Science and Technology a) Interim Executive Committee of the Media Council and b) Film Commission

Republic of Botswana (10/3/09): TAUTONA TIMES no 6 of 2009
The Weekly Electronic Press Circular of the Office of the President “Democracy, Development, Dignity and Discipline”


C14) 23/2/09: Ministry of Communications, Science and Technology a) Interim Executive Committee of the Media Council and b) Film Commission


The Ministry of Communications, Science and Technology invites applications from Publishers of Information for membership the Interim Executive Committee The Media Practitioner’s Act 2008 provides for the establishment of the Interim Executive Council which will receive applications from publishers for membership to the Media Council until the substantive Council elects a substantive Executive Council. The Interim Executive Council will assist the Minister to start operation of the Media Council and assist in the process of drafting the Regulations.

Publishers are therefore invited apply to:
The Permanent Secretary
Ministry of Communications, Science and Technology
Private Bag 00414
Gaborone Fax: 3907236

Closing Date: 15th March 2009


b) Interim Botswana Film Commission


Applications are invited from suitably qualified volunteers for membership of the Interim Botswana Film Commission.
Background The Cinematograph Act was passed into law in 1970. It has remained dormant since then but Government has recently approved the setting up of structures that will develop, produce, promote, distribute and provide access to diverse Botswana filming programmes and support the development of the Botswana screen production industry so that Botswana screen content is accessible nationally and internationally. An early objective of the Commission will be to facilitate the revision of the Cinematograph Act. The functions of the Film Commission will, among others, be to
  1. promote Botswana as a preferred destination of film making
  2. issue licenses for prospective filming projects
  3. liaise with the relevant authorities (police, department responsible for national parks, local authorities responsible for roads and district property, etc.) to ease access to requested filming locations
  4. recommend incentive packages for the filming industry to sponsors (Government and the Private Sector)
  5. develop or cause to be developed, (legal) instruments that will aid the development of a film industry in Botswana
  6. facilitate access of Batswana to mentorship and participation in local and international film industry
  7. facilitate investment in the Botswana film industry
  8. facilitate access to service providers
Do you have the knowledge, passion, interest and energy to serve in this commission? Please send your application, attaching CV to: The Permanent Secretary Ministry of Communications, Science and Technology, Private Bag 00414, Gaborone, Fax 3907236 Closing Date: 15 March 2009

Press Statement by DPSM Director on Public Service Early Exit Policy

Republic of Botswana (10/3/09): TAUTONA TIMES no 6 of 2009
The Weekly Electronic Press Circular of the Office of the President “Democracy, Development, Dignity and Discipline”

C11) 5/3/09: Press Statement by DPSM Director on Public Service Early Exit Policy:

Public Officers and members of the Public at large are informed that, Government has approved introduction of the Early Exit Policy for the Public Service.

The Policy is aimed at compensating Public Officers who will be required by Government to leave the Public Service before they reach the compulsory retirement age due to amongst others the following reasons:

i) The introduction of technologies and working practices which impact directly or indirectly on the number, skills or competencies of employees.

ii) The cessation of a function resulting in a reduction, or total abolition of office for employees of a particular category, occupation or level.

iii) Organizational changes or developments which directly result in staff reduction at a particular level, category, skill or occupation.

The Policy will be available for the public at DPSM on 1 April 2009.

AfroBarometer Survey suggests Batswana open to international community

Republic of Botswana (10/3/09): TAUTONA TIMES no 6 of 2009
The Weekly Electronic Press Circular of the Office of the President “Democracy, Development, Dignity and Discipline”


C6) 4/3/09: AfroBarometer Survey suggests Batswana open to international community


Recently released data from the Round 4 AfroBarometer Survey in Botswana, suggest that Batswana are relatively positive in their perceptions about the impact of various international actors on their well being. The figure below reflects the response by those sampled to the question: “In your opinion how much does each of the following help your country?”




In their perception of the influence of international investors on government 25% of the respondents said that they had too little, 30% said that they had the right amount, while only 15% said they had too much.

The AfroBarometer Survey was conducted in October 2008 with a nationally representative probability sample of 1200 adult Batswana living in all 26 Districts and sub-Districts. Its authors report that the Survey’s probability of selection was proportionate to the population size based on the most recent census. It is thus said to be accurate to within a margin of error of plus or minus 3%, at a confidence level of 95%.

It may be further noted that the above public perception findings dovetail with international benchmark surveys that have measured the openness of Botswana’s economy and institutions to trans-national input. For example the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace “Globalisation Index” has ranked Botswana number one (1) in Africa and number thirty (30) in the world, just below Japan. Among the countries classified as “developing”, Botswana was ranked number three (3) after Malaysia (20) and Panama (27) and just ahead of Republic of (South) Korea (32). Rankings on the Globalisation Index were determined by the combined score of weighted variables covering economic, personal, technological and political categories.

Special Feature – Interview of H.E. the President Lt. Gen. Seretse Khama Ian Khama by the Financial Times Newspaper (Part 1)

Republic of Botswana (10/3/09): TAUTONA TIMES no 6 of 2009
The Weekly Electronic Press Circular of the Office of the President “Democracy, Development, Dignity and Discipline”


D. Special Feature – Interview of H.E. the President Lt. Gen. Seretse Khama Ian Khama by the Financial Times Newspaper (Part 1):


Please find below a transcript of Part 1 of a 26/3/09 interview of H.E. the President by the Financial Times newspaper. FT= "Financial Times", IK= "Ian Khama":

FT Introduction:

Since he became Botswana’s president last April, Ian Khama has made a name for himself as a hyperactive reformer at home and an outspoken statesman abroad. To his backers, he is the man who stood up to Robert Mugabe, the autocratic president of neighbouring Zimbabwe. To his detractors, Mr. Khama is prepared to trample his opponents and rule by presidential fiat to advance a personal agenda of “discipline”. A former army chief who trained at Sandhurst, the UK’s elite military academy, Mr. Khama is the son of Botswana’s founding president and a British aristocrat. Tom Burgis, the FT’s Johannesburg correspondent, interviewed him on February 26 2009, the day before his 56th birthday, amid the military paraphernalia of his Gaborone office.

Interview Transcript

FT - I suppose the place to start, Mr. President, is just to look at the bold facts that have been emerging in recent days. We had, in your own finance minister’s budget, a prediction of diamond revenue down by 50 per cent, and yesterday we had Debswana [Botswana’s joint venture with De Beers] closing its mines. Diamonds are 80 per cent of your foreign exchange; about 30 per cent of gross domestic product. The people who read this interview are going to be looking to you and wondering how on earth you can mitigate a crisis in a sector that is so crucial to your economy.

IK - Yes, there is no doubt we are facing a huge challenge. One of the reasons, the main reason is because we have been very dependent on revenues from minerals, especially diamonds ever since they were found in the seventies. Taking that into account, fortunately over the years, we have taken a deliberate decision to build up foreign exchange reserves precisely to meet circumstances like we are now facing. Our foreign exchange reserves must give us about; I think it’s about 28 months of import cover.

FT - You’ve got about $9.2 billion.

IK - About that in US dollars. It’s about 70-plus million pula. And that, as I said, covers about 28 months of import cover. Our economy, our local economy, is very dependent, the private sector, on government spending still and it is for that reason why we took a decision to go with the extent of the deficit we are going to have this coming financial year, from April 1, because we didn’t want to harm the local economy at all.

So we have, more or less, maintained government spending this year. In fact, it’s probably even a bit higher on the recurrent budget than it was last year, for that reason. And we will, therefore, be drawing on some of our reserves to tide us over this period.

FT - Do you have any idea how much you are going to spend out of those reserves?

IK - No, because we are going to also look at the possibility of borrowing if we get favourable borrowing terms.

FT - In the capital markets?

IK - Yes. Because the advantage of doing that is that when you do borrow, you can also invest that in the short term. And the thing is that if, in future, we ever have this problem again, and the ability to borrow is not there, then you are entirely dependent on your foreign reserves. So it would be a balance between borrowing, as I said, if we get favourable rates, and usage of the reserves. The other thing is we don’t know, of course, and nobody seems to know, how long this economic downturn is going to last. But if the predictions one is hearing about now, that we may start coming out of it towards the end of this year, then we expect that if we have a deficit again, as we are likely to in the next financial year, it would be less. And these downturns, if they are for relatively short periods of a couple of years, then the kind of deficit we have put in place, we can certainly manage.

FT - But Stephen Lussier from De Beers, in Cape Town two weeks ago, said that De Beers doesn’t expect the diamond market to pick up before Christmas 2010. And on the other side of that, you are considering borrowing, but you’ve got Standard and Poor’s and the other agencies looking very closely at your sovereign credit rating. Is there a worst case scenario than that? Are you planning, as well, for a longer term downturn?

IK - Yes, indeed. That would always have to be in the plan because, as I say, the situation is so volatile. We work on six year cycles, our plans. We have national development plans, as I said, which go for six years. We are currently in the plan period which we call NDP 9, and are going into NDP 10. NDP 10 was supposed to start this coming financial year, 2009/2010, but we decided that we should really start implementing it from next year because you can’t plan anything when you don’t really know what your revenue earnings are going to be. I think later this year, in the next few months or so, things will become clearer as to what that will be. And then we will be able to know whether we’re in for a long term recession or not. Now, should that be the case, then unfortunately you’re going to then have to ensure that we then plan for much, much smaller deficits, or even balanced budgets. But then the outcome of that will mean that what we are putting into the local economy is going to be reduced and then we’re going to start seeing what’s happening in other economies of retrenchments and people going out of work. Currently, the most recent study we’ve done, it’s only our mineral sector which are likely to face lay-offs. But in the rest of the economy, we’ve gone through them – the banking, retail sector and so on – there are no plans that we are aware of, in the private sector, to lay off people, which is an indication that our spending is what is going to help sustain them through this period.

FT - Botswana is often talked about as the model of an African country, or a lower-or-middle income country anywhere, that is commodity-dependent and which has managed that well. Do you think that you remain an example of how resource-dependent countries should manage their resources?

IK - Indeed. We wouldn’t want to prescribe to anybody how they run their economies but if anybody was willing to come here and benchmark and learn from what we have done, I think they would find that our model is one they could take into consideration, to adopt for themselves. There may be others, but certainly it has stood us well. And just coming back to the point you mentioned about De Beers and them looking at the upturn at the end of 2010, we had the worst case scenario which was in November last year, when we didn’t sell any diamonds whatsoever. But that was because the site-holders, as they are called, the people who come in and buy up the diamonds from the Diamond Trading Centre and then sell on to the rest of the industry, the jewellers and what have you, they usually are dependent on getting credit for up to about three months, to come in and buy the diamonds and then sell them. And at that time, in November, when this thing really hit us hard worldwide, the financial institutions were not lending, as you are aware. And therefore, at that time, they were not able to access credit to be able to come in and buy up our diamonds. But since then, there have been some sales and we expect there to be sales gradually increasing. I don’t know what De Beers was saying was whether by 2010, it will be back to the level it was before the downturn or whether they are saying it’s only in 2010 that they are starting to see sales coming in again. My expectation is that we will, as we are, be making sales this year, but not to the same extent as before. And maybe by the end of 2010, they will be back to where they were originally.

FT - De Beers has obviously taken pretty drastic measures, it seems particularly in Botswana. Mr. Lussier was saying that the pain of cutting production will be shared across the whole De Beers group. In Botswana, everything is closed for 50 days. Some of those mines won’t re-open this year. [De Beers Botswana boss] Sheila Khama, who we saw last week, is talking about the possibility of retrenchments. We see this 600 job figure yesterday. As a 50-50 partner in Debswana, are you in agreement with those drastic steps they’ve taken to try and address their global market?

IK - I can only talk for Debswana, not De Beers. Debswana is a 50-50 partnership between us and De Beers, so all the decisions that are made about the mines in this country is with the full knowledge and input of this government. So any decisions that were taken on lowering the production by removing 40 per cent from the production once the mines start operating again, it was done with us.

FT - It will be 40 per cent for the rest of the year taken out of production?

IK - 40 per cent taken out, yes. And we expect the main mines to be back in operation at the middle of April. So yes, there may be one or two of the smaller ones, because you have to understand that when those small mines that we are talking about – and they are small – we knew the deposits were there in the past. The problem was that it was not economically viable to mine. But as diamond prices increased, so they became viable. So obviously they would be the first ones to be moth-balled when there’s a problem like this. But the other ones are going to be in operation, as I said, from the middle of April. The plan is for now that we would start, but when they do start production, it will be 40 per cent down.

FT - When do you, as the government, hope to see production returning to full capacity?

IK - I can’t answer that. You can’t answer that. Nobody can answer that. As I said, the situation is so volatile. Our main markets are the United States, Japan and Europe, in that order. And as you know, those are the hardest hit at the moment.

FT - The other thing that marks out Botswana as a commodity producer was this attempt to bring more of a value addition into the country: to have the cutters and polishers here and also to move the De Beers aggregation operations here, at least 3,000 jobs that are apparently arriving. That process, as I understand it, is in a bit of trouble, as are one or two of the diamond cutters and polishers. Can you just describe how you can keep that afloat through this crisis?

IK - Well, those are independent entities, private sector operations. And that is just something that we are talking to them about, that if they need us to assist them as a government in trying to keep them afloat, we can look at that. And as I said, it’s something that we are monitoring. But there is no doubt that they are also going to be affected. And it’s unfortunate that, at a time when we were starting to move ourselves from just being a producer to wanting to start engaging all the downstream activities, that this situation should hit us. Because again, we are not just talking about, we were not just looking at the downstream activities, being polishing and cutting, but also things like diamond banking. We were looking at grading laboratories and that type of thing, and even people here being able to start their own jewellery production. So we were looking at the entire spectrum across the board. We expect it to be a temporary hiccup, but all our plans remain in place to achieve that. We’ve got it under the name of a diamond hub, making Botswana a diamond hub, and we have a co-ordinator who is full-time doing that. And all those plans are going ahead.

FT - But haven’t they been delayed?

IK - I don’t think so. I haven’t heard that any of the people who were intending to come in and set up have since pulled back to the same extent that some of the mining operations have been affected. I don’t have that information at my fingertips.

FT - But the aggregation side of things, is that going according to plan, the relocation of the aggregation facility?

IK - Yes, that’s going ahead.

FT - Because there was talk of differences of opinion about that and for tax purposes, De Beers was keen to keep some of those people in London. Is De Beers honouring those commitments?

IK - Yes, indeed.

FT - You seem fairly bullish on the prospects for recovery. Are you worried that a downgrade to your credit rating could be a crucial part of that plan that could go wrong?

IK - Well, the recent rating did downgrade us from stable to negative, as you are probably aware. That was mostly because of the size of the deficit. But as I said, we are still confident that we will be able to see this thing through. And of course, that is dependent on the fact that, indeed, towards the end of this year, we start seeing a recovery.

FT - If we could just move on then to the region. You have obviously been a very prominent player in the negotiations on the crisis in Zimbabwe next door. Do you think the unity government that we’ve got now, executive power shared in two places, shared between President [Robert] Mugabe and Prime Minister [Morgan] Tsvangirai, is that a government that can address and resolve the enormous problems in Zimbabwe?

IK - If you had asked me to put together a combination of people who could spell disaster, that would probably be the combination, based on the fact that the two have got, there is no love lost between them. And I think they are going to really struggle. So all one can really say is that I’m holding my breath and praying that it will work. As I say, when you see the combination of people involved there, when you know the background and the mentality of Mugabe and his party, they have been dragged, kicking and screaming, to this agreement. It is not because they wanted it or they are wanting to do it for the good of Zimbabwe and its people. Because if they had ever had the interest of Zimbabwe and its people, they wouldn’t have driven the country down to the sorry state that it is today.

FT - So what do you think its prospects are as a government? Do you see it unraveling? You are hoping and praying but what do you actually think will happen?

IK - It’s impossible to say. Really, it is, because even judging from the start, with people who were abducted or arrested in very strange circumstances, the deputy minister designate, [Roy] Bennett, being arrested as well, I just thought to myself, well, what else is new? That’s just what one would expect from them. Yesterday I heard there was another problem with a unilateral decision made by Mugabe appointing permanent secretaries without consulting the prime minister. It’s just an indication of why I have been very skeptical. I would be very pleasantly surprised if things do work out.

FT - But you’re not expecting that?

IK - I’m hoping it will be. I will not say I’m not expecting it to be because I think it is possible. I think it is possible. The reason why I think Mugabe and some of his colleagues are on board is because the situation had become so desperate for them. They were not displaying the type of arrogance that they were before when anybody tried to intervene, to bring about an improvement in the situation in that country. They are on their knees. And I think they can see that they have to do something and this is the only way out. So that’s why I say one is hoping that they won’t try to put up too many obstacles to the process and get things moving along.

FT - You were of course hosting Mr. Tsvangirai here. Isn’t there a danger that the MDC [Mr. Tsvangiria’s Movement for Democratic Change] have made a mistake here in going into a government with Mugabe still in power?

IK - Do you want me to give you my answer in public? President Mugabe has been in power 29 years, I think. That is just ridiculously long for any leader. I think 10 years for any leader [is enough], when you look around the world at some of the leaders. Take Tony Blair. He came in hugely popular. You remember how he left? You take John Howard, the Australian prime minister; he had done 11 years. And the Australian economy had done well during his time, but people had just had enough. So not only did his party lose, he also lost his seat. And I think that is the trend. With Mugabe, you can see it. If you look back, the first 10 years that he was president – prime minister and then became president – were probably the best years for him. After that, it was just a decline. Every year, and in more recent times, every day he has been in power, things have just gone from bad to worse. So I really think, in my own opinion that he should have, long ago, stepped down. He shouldn’t, in my opinion, be there now. He should have given over to somebody else in his party to take over the reins, and I just cannot believe what kind of legacy he thinks that he is going to leave for the country and what people will remember him for.

FT - But presumably, given what you’re saying about the odds against this government being effective, presumably that means you’re expecting the humanitarian crisis to get worse?

IK - I’m hoping it will get better. I’ve spoken to some of those in the donor community, that we would hope in this period, as much as we understand they are not ready to engage Zimbabwe with development assistance because they want to see first how things will pan out, but I’ve certainly said to them that now is the time to get more engaged with humanitarian assistance. And I’m hoping that they will. And I haven’t heard that they would be reluctant to do so. I think they are keen to do so. Removing all the impediments that they faced before, when they tried to get involved, and that now we will start seeing a turnaround in some of the crises, like they have with the cholera and everything like that. But then, coming back to that situation of Mugabe, the MDC, I think, agreed to let Mugabe stay on as President in the hope that it would be a demonstration of good faith on their part, knowing that he was so desperate to continue to stay in power, and that that would see some genuine moves on his part towards reconciliation.
But we didn’t see that. That’s why the agreement took almost five months before it came in place, because there was just, all we saw was bad faith and more bad faith on his part. So yes, in hindsight, obviously, they probably regretted that they had agreed to that. And that is why we have always called, as Botswana, for elections. We didn’t agree to this sharing of power, just like we didn’t agree to the Kenyan model either because we felt that what we need to do is to ensure, on the continent, that we have credible elections. And if a ruling party thinks it’s likely to lose, and then uses its position as a ruling party to manipulate the outcome of the election so that they can extend their term in power, is not the way to go. And therefore, this power-sharing thing is a bad precedent for the continent.

FT - But you were present at that meeting in January with the [Southern African Development Community, the regional bloc] heads of state when everybody thought that what was going to happen was that you would continue your stand that President Mugabe’s presidency wasn’t legitimate and, exactly as you’ve just said, elections were the answer. And then we had a deal between Mr. Tsvangirai and Mr. Mugabe. What happened in that summit?

IK - Let me remind you, what happened was that after the presidential election [the one-man run-off Mr. Mugabe staged last June], if you can call it that, and Mugabe was inaugurated as the president, we came out at that time and said we don’t recognize him as the president because those elections were a sham. And that was the position we took until the 15th September when the agreement was signed. So when the parties, the Zimbabwean parties, because it’s not for us to dictate what they should do … that was their agreement. So they said fine, we are signing and we are going to, as Zimbabweans, agree that Mugabe can be the president. So we said fine. If that is the agreement, and it was then supported by SADC, the [African Union] and the UN – because they had mediators there – they were all there in Harare. And so that turned the page for us. We will recognize Mugabe as the president. Consistently after that, when things were going wrong in that five month period, we were issuing press statements expressing our concern about the way things were going. And we were very near, just before the summit – I was going to say between you and I, but you are obviously going to put it out in your paper – but I had written to the president, the SADC chairman, [South African] President [Kgalema] Motlanthe, that we were about to go back to our position of now de-recognising Mugabe and any of his political appointees because we could see they were frustrating the process of implementing the agreement. And then the summit was called. So we went to that summit and I attended it, whereas I didn’t attend the previous one, because we didn’t recognize [Mr. Mugabe]. And we attended it in order to try to have a last ditch attempt to try and get this agreement back on its feet. And that was achieved.

FT - You wrote to President Motlanthe, as you say, and then you were persuaded to back the agreement that came out, even though there were still political detainees at the time, even though there was still this sharing agreement of Home Affairs and all the problems the MDC had been raising. Was there something that convinced you?

IK - No, no, no. What happened was that they then still attempted to get this power sharing agreement in place. You remember, he went to Harare to go and talk to the parties, and they failed. It was after that failed that they then called the summit. So when we were at the summit, they [SADC negotiators] said to us that, look, we went to Harare and these were the issues that they had put to the MDC. And the MDC had come up with their own issues which needed to be addressed. There were about five of them that they were unhappy with. So they felt, as the SADC summit, that those were the things that we should stand by. We, as Botswana, said no: we don’t agree with that. Let us bring in the MDC and hear from them and try to work our way around the issues so that we can find an accommodation. Because initially when we started in the summit, the MDC were not with us and I objected to that, right from the beginning. I said how can we sit here and talk without all the parties being here? And just having Mugabe there, I can’t see how we are going to make progress. So we attempted to talk around it, and this must have gone on for a couple of hours. And we weren’t going anywhere. The MDC were brought in, and the MDC came and told that fine, they did not agree with the position, why they didn’t agree. And I said unless we find an accommodation of the MDC’s point of view, there is going to be no agreement. Having Zimbabwe continue under the stewardship of Mugabe and [Zanu-PF, his party], we were just going to see that country becoming even more and more of a refugee camp.

FT - But it still is under the stewardship of Mugabe and Zanu.

IK - Yeah, I guess you’re right, when you read the agreement. But as I said, that is what they settled for. If it had been me in the MDC’s place, I would not have agreed to what is in there now. But as I said, I’m here, they are there. It is their country. It is their agreement and we must just give it support. That was the only thing that was on the table. Our plea and request for a re-run of that election was never ever an issue. It was never taken up. It was never agreed to. And we made it several times. And even today, we still think that would have been the best thing, to have a re-run of that election.

FT - Will there have to be another election before there’s a truly legitimate government in place?

IK - There’s going to be. That is the other thing I said. I said you can’t run away from an election. There is going to have to be an election at some stage, whether it’s in two years time or they allow this agreement to go on for its full term; it’s now almost a year now, so another four years under this interim arrangement. But at the end of the day, they’re going to have an election and where will we be then? Will we be better off, will the election be credible? We will wait and see.

FT - Turning to HIV/Aids here. We were talking to some health professionals the other night. They’re talking about studies that show 55-65 per cent rate among the adult population who have been diagnosed and advised to take ARVs [antiretroviral medication for HIV/Aids]. That is an astonishingly high number, but I see that there is a government figure more around 17 per cent and the national figure [from health agencies] is around 33-37 per cent. Where do you think the epidemic is?

IK - It is certainly not 55. It is closer to the 17 per cent. That is the prevalence in the country. At one stage when we looked at the number of people who were coming in and being tested, that was the only sample we had and those indications were around 30 per cent. But we have come to realize, over the years we have been doing this, that it’s obviously lower and it is dropping. The number of people we have now on ARVs – 97,000, almost 100,000. And our initial projections, when we first started this programme, were it could be around 110,000 people. So now we have been able to reach 97,000 and you can work that out on percentages when we have a population of about 1.8m people.

FT - And a final thing – unless there is anything else you wanted to say that we haven’t touched on?

IK - I wouldn’t know what you wanted me to say. I have always known the less I say to a journalist, the better.

FT - You have built a reputation as a democrat in a region with dubious credentials, but there are people who look at your military background, they look at the amount of directives you’ve issued direct from the presidency and they say: is this man committed to democracy? Are you keen to serve more than one term?

IK - That I haven’t decided and it is not my decision either. It would be the party. First of all you should understand that it was not my choice to enter politics. It has not been one of my career ambitions. I was quite happy in the military where I was and after that, before you ask, I was going to go into tourism and set up and run a couple of charities, which I did start. And I am still involved with it now. So that was what I intended to do. And then the former president [Festus Mogae] asked me to leave the military and come in and be his number two in politics. I always knew politics to be a dirty game, it had no attraction for me and now, being in politics, I can confirm it is a dirty game and I would never recommend it to anybody at all.

And if you say why am I still in politics, well I ask myself that question every day. But when you talk about directives, how else do you manage or lead without giving directives? So directives, a lot of them come after consultation, there is a cabinet and we make decisions that come out of cabinet. When I go around and have these public meetings, I get a sense of what people think we should be doing. I don’t just take it that because we have been given a five-year mandate to govern, that we can then go out and just do whatever we want to do, based on our manifesto. That things change in people’s lives on a day to day basis and it is important to go out and maintain contact with them. And in addition to having public meetings, in recent times I have also taken to, wherever I am on a weekend – like this weekend I will be somewhere else, last weekend I was somewhere else – I will, if I am driving around near a village or even in town, I did it here about two weeks ago, I will just pop in if I see some people sitting in the yard, I will just stop the vehicle, pop in and just go and talk to them and sit down with them and ask them how they are doing and they should share with me any problems they have. And we take their names, we take their phone numbers, come back to the office and then try to address the problems that they have given us. And I do that unannounced, the public meetings, they are announced, the people will come in to come and attend and you have all the paraphernalia that goes with it – the security and all the officials who would be there. But this other element I find also very useful because I’ll be just in one vehicle with maybe two other people and no one is expecting me and you just go along and ask them how life is.

IK - I am a bit of a health freak, I do a lot of exercise every day and I have a gym at home, I do one-and-a-half hours of gym in the morning and in the evenings I go and do sports, either football, volleyball, still do the military obstacle course and cycling. And in my free time I do quad biking and power shooting and caving.

FT - And in a sentence when you leave office, whenever that may be, “legacy” is a dreadful term but how do you want to leave Botswana different to how you found it?

IK - I think we are just building on a foundation, if we could just raise the standard of living of the people of the country. The characteristic I would like to leave here is based on the four Ds – Development, Dignity, Discipline and Democracy – and it is all those things, building towards that.
Like you I don’t want to use the word legacy because that is not what one should be trying to aim for. I think we are in a collective in trying to take Botswana to the next level and I am just part of the cog on the wheel in trying to achieve that. So all these other initiatives that I introduced last year are a step towards achieving that.

Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009