The Star
*Heed Julius on Botswana * *Editorial, The Star, Johannesburg, 3 August 2011 *It is easy to dismiss as poppycock Julius Malema and the ANC Youth League's intention to "establish a Botswana command team" to unite Gaborone's opposition forces to oppose Ian Khama's government.
It is equally disingenuous of the ANC to harshly rebuke the league, while allowing its communists and union allies to interfere in and speak openly against Swaziland and Zimbabwe.
The ANC, under President Jacob Zuma, was revving up the pressure against Robert Mugabe's regime, thus undermining Thabo Mbeki's so-called quiet diplomacy. Sure, Malema and his league lack political and diplomatic adroitness and guile, but something is happening in Botswana which warrants the region's attention.
Since Khama took over in 2008, civil society, the media and the opposition have expressed concern about his leadership style. Without passing judgment on the quality of Khama's leadership, there are worrying signs regarding Botswana's political stability. Khama's introduction of the Media Practitioners Law was condemned as a blow to free speech, while his handling of the civil servants' protests and his response to factionalism and dissension in his ruling party were disturbing.
The Law Society of Botswana has raised alarm about what it described as mysterious extra-judicial killings and torture under Khama's rule, while civilians have complained about restrictions on civil liberties.
Although we do not believe that the league's enigmatic "command team" is the right vehicle or solution to deal with our neighbour's problems, we must equally avoid a situation where Malema will one day be able to say "I told you so."
Plausibly, Malema might be raising the Botswana issue to divert attention from his political woes. But we need to pause a little. Botswana has always been the continent's beacon of democracy. We must worry about the possibility of an unstable Botswana, as South Africa would bear the brunt of any instability across its border.
There are millions of refugees in South Africa as a result of the near implosion of Zimbabwe. A similar influx of refugees from Botswana is a ghastly scenario.
*From: http://www.iol.co.za/thestar/heed-julius-on-botswana-1.1110832* ** ** -- You are subscribed. This footer can help you. Please POST your comments to [email protected] or reply to this message. You can visit the group WEB SITE at http://groups.google.com/group/yclsa-eom-forum for different delivery options, pages, files and membership. To UNSUBSCRIBE, please email [email protected] . You don't have to put anything in the "Subject:" field. You don't have to put anything in the message part. All you have to do is to send an e-mail to this address (repeat): [email protected] .
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