03 Mar 2016

On 26th February 2016, the Leader of the Opposition Honourable Duma Boko delivered a Statement on the floor of this Parliament on what he perceives to be Botswana’s foreign policy posture. 

The Statement in the main casts aspersions on the execution of the country’s foreign policy, particularly citing Botswana’s position on the question of South China Sea. 

The Leader of the Opposition, in his Statement, gives the impression that Botswana’s foreign policy is adversarial and thus endangering the country’s interests. 

The Statement in question is sensational and provocative, to say the least. It would be a dangerous precedence if we did not respond to such disingenuous remarks as that would give credence to a very misleading message to the peace loving Batswana and our valued development partners. 

The Honourable Member alleged that the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China closed temporarily in protest to Botswana’s statement on South China Sea. By his own admission, the Honourable Member indicated that he had heard about an alleged closure of the Embassy of China.

The most appropriate step that he should have done would have been to ascertain the truth of this matter, either with the concerned Embassy or the Government of Botswana.

The Honourable member did not do that. As a leader in waiting, as he purports to be, he should have exercised due diligence before making such an astounding public pronouncement on a matter that he had not verified.   

To the best of our knowledge, as the Government of the day, the esteemed Embassy never closed its office in Botswana. We would like to challenge the Honourable member to prove otherwise. If he cannot do so, the most honourable thing would be to withdraw the statement and tender an apology to the Government of the Peoples’ Republic of China for misrepresenting them. The closure of an embassy is not a trivial matter. Contrary to his thinking that his statement was made in support of the Chinese Government I wish to point out that, on the contrary it may portray a negative image about the said Government.    

I wish to confidently affirm that Botswana and the Peoples’ Republic of China continue to enjoy excellent relations which date back to the formative years of Botswana’s independence. I also wish to underscore the fact that as friends, it is normal that we may differ on any issue, but that alone would never turn friends into sworn adversaries.  As it is, Botswana and the Peoples’ Republic of China are actively working together as strategic partners to advance our bilateral relations. 

I wish to re-affirm that Botswana’s foreign policy is firmly rooted in the fundamental principles of Democracy, Rule of Law, Good neighbourliness, Peaceful resolution of conflicts, Territorial integrity; and Sovereignty of nations. These tenets continue to be our critical reference point in contending with a wider global agenda, including but not limited to regional integration, globalization, promoting international peace, goodwill and friendship, promoting international co-operation, as well as promoting trade, investment, tourism. It is also these principles which have over the years earned us international accolades. 

I therefore wish to reiterate that Botswana will continue to articulate her position on any issues that are likely to endanger international peace and security. We are a member of the community of Nations as evidenced by our active membership and participation in international organisations such as UN, AU, SADC etc. It is my considered view that history would judge us harshly if we were to remain mute over issues which are of global concern.

The Leader of the Opposition also makes unsubstantiated claims that the statement on South China Sea was issued without the knowledge of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. I wish to make it categorically clear that the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation is the Chief Advisor to Government on matters of foreign policy. The contention by the Leader of the Opposition is therefore far from the truth and it is only proper that he withdraws such an uninformed statement.

The insinuation by the Leader of the Opposition that the BDP Government is ruining the economic fortunes of this country, is a total fallacy which points to political immaturity and irresponsibility. I am making this conclusion because Botswana, as you are all aware, continues to be a beacon of democracy and good governance in Africa and beyond.  

I would be remiss in my duty if I did not express my consternation with regard to the derogatory language used by the Leader of the Opposition when addressing the President of the Republic of Botswana.

 Freedom of speech, which is entrenched in our constitution does not by any means take away the moral obligation to respect the decorum that should be accorded the Presidency. Such a despicable act is also a travesty of our cultural values and norms, which are a moral fibre that characterises us as a nation. It is regrettable that an aspiring leader of his stature could take pride in using disparaging language against the President of this Republic. As Leader of the Opposition, we expect him to be “a true exemplar” of our social values.

Finally, I wish to honestly advise the Leader of the Opposition not to mislead the nation by his uninformed and unsubstantiated statement. Further, I wish to advise him to always ascertain the veracity of the information he wishes to share with the general public. Misinformation is a clear manifestation of irresponsible and unaccountable leadership. Ends