INAUGURATION ADDRESS BY H.E. LIEUTENANT GENERAL S.K.I. KHAMA PRESIDENT
OF THE REPUBLIC OF BOTSWANA TUESDAY 1ST APRIL 2008 NATIONAL ASSEMBLY 0830
HOURS

Your Lordship Chief Justice Nganunu and Mrs. Nganunu
Honourable Speaker of the National Assembly, Mr Balopi and Mrs. Balopi
Former President Sir Q.K.J. Masire and Lady Masire
Former President Mr F. G. Mogae and Mrs. Mogae
Leader of the Opposition
Judge President of the Industrial Court
Your Ladyships and Lordships Judges of the High Court and
Industrial Court, and your Spouses
Your Excellencies Heads of Diplomatic Mission and International
Organisations and your spouses
Honourable Members of Parliament and your spouses
Your Worship the Mayor
Chairman of Ntlo ya Dikgosi Kgosi Seepapitso IV
Dikgosi le bahumagadi
Honourable Councillors and your spouses
The Right Reverend Bishop Boniface Setlalekgosi
The Right Reverend Bishop Mwamba
Distinguished Guests
Batswana betsho, ke lo dumedisa ka Pula!

1 Let me from the outset pay tribute to Rre Mogae as he begins his
retirement after years of exemplary service to our nation. When looking
back at his lifelong commitment to national service, it is hardly
surprising to anyone that he eventually ascended to the highest office
in the land. Rre Mogae's achievements and the legacy he will bequeath us
are well documented, as indeed outlined in his last State of the Nation
Address in November last year. Immense strides in areas such as
economic management, gender equality, HIV/AIDS, infrastructure
development and social transformation, to mention but a few, have been
made under his stewardship of our country. As president, Rre Mogae was
recognized locally and abroad for these achievements. He can boast an
admirable track record that serves as an example for future leaders of
this country and elsewhere in the international community.

2 An example of Rre Mogae's wise leadership is best re-stated by
his own words during his last State of the Nation Address when he said
and I quote "I have not allowed political expediency and the pursuit of
populism to cloud my judgement and service to the nation. For the road
to political expediency and populism may be lined with cheering crowds,
but in the end we cannot escape the cold hard facts of our limitations
as a developing country. Harsh punishment awaits a nation that spends
unwisely in pursuit of immediate gratification rather than sustainable
development" end quote. These are indeed wise words, and words I wish
to identify myself with. On behalf of the nation, Rre Mogae I wish to
thank you Rraetsho for all you have done, and we wish you all the best
in your retirement. Please feel free to call on me at anytime to render
advice on any issue, and I hope I too can call on you for the same.

3 A change of leadership does not mean radical changes in the way
we have been setting out our objectives as agreed upon by the ruling
party and government for this nation. Our party has a manifesto that I
signed on to and the government has a national development plan that I
am also a party to. However, in the course of the incoming
administration you may detect a change in style and special emphasis on
a number of issues. This should not cause any alarm or uncertainty.
Afterall, changes should be seen in the context that no two people are
the same. However the overall objectives remain the same and not least
because we, Rre Mogae and I, have been working together for quite some
years to achieve them.

4 Leadership changes can be a time of unease. I can only allay
any disquiet by once more evoking President Mogae's words in his State
of the Nation Address and I quote "Let us therefore face the future with
confidence and determination: determination to lift our nation to
greater heights, and determination to use our current achievements as
stepping-stones towards prosperity and greater success" end Quote. I
certainly intend to carry out my duties within the spirit and intent of
those words.

5 I am confident in the future, and I am determined to build upon
the solid foundation that has already been laid since independence by my
predecessors. For me to succeed, we must all be growing in success. No
one can achieve anything on his or her own. This is our country, the
only country we have. Botswana can achieve greater success only if we
show a collective will and when we all participate fully in her affairs.
Therefore whatever we do or whatever we say must be done and said in the
best interests of this country.

6 We have a clear vision of what we want Botswana's future to be.
The successful implementation of our economic diversification policies
and all this implies, will require focussed and a single-minded pursuit
of our goals and objectives. I am confident that with the right
leadership at all levels and the appropriate mindset, we can, together,
secure that success.

7 Batswana have every right to reflect with pride on four decades
of independence, stability and major economic and social development.
But we cannot bask in past glory forever as has been the tendency. We
need to think of the coming decades and about the prosperity and welfare
of future generations. Botswana has become a middle-income country by
prudently managing and investing the proceeds from her natural
resources. This in turn, has provided a stable and fulfilling
environment for its citizens and business. Today, the country faces
challenges that require further responses and initiatives. Areas that I
feel need special emphasis are employment creation and poverty
alleviation, programmes for the youth, health, housing and the fight
against crime, to mention a few.

8 But we also face new challenges such as environmental
protection, and changing social values, brought about by rapid
urbanisation. The external perceptions about Botswana have also changed:
Botswana is no longer seen as the only beacon of success in Africa. A
growing number of countries on our continent have become stable,
democratic and increasingly attractive for investors, tourists and like
spirited people.

9 These are some of the issues I am mindful of as I take the oath
of office. Hence my roadmap for the nation will be underpinned and
characterized by the principles of Democracy, Development, Dignity and
Discipline. That they all start with the letter D is purely by
coincidence.

10 The first D, Democracy, has served our country and its people
well. It is an important cornerstone of good governance and prudent
economic management. Only democracy guarantees human rights, the rule
of law, accountability and basic freedoms that we have enjoyed over the
years. Yet again it is President Mogae who said "we are a country with a
rich democratic political tradition and something positive to
demonstrate and contribute to the rest of the world" end Quote.

11 All the success we have registered is on account of our
adherence to democratic ideals. Nothing should be allowed to detract us
from this path. There is no substitute for it. I believe that Batswana
recognise that only democracy can create the most favourable conditions
to ensure that our aspirations can be fulfilled.

12 I am a democrat. I have always believed in democratic ideals,
and joined the military to defend this democracy. I consider myself an
integral part of this system of governance that has become entrenched in
the life of Batswana.

13 The second D, Development, refers to improving the standard of
living of Batswana. This will manifest itself through the continued
provision of national infrastructure such as roads, hospitals,
electricity, schools, stadia and other life affirming opportunities,
most importantly jobs. For this to happen, we have to create an enabling
environment for the private sector, and to actively encourage it to
become the driving force of and the main investor in our economy.
Government cannot alone bring about change. I also expect the private
sector to do much more in support of the change process, especially in
areas such as innovation, staff training and skills development.

14 We need to change the mindset among Batswana by encouraging and
helping them to fully develop their talents, and through stimulating
creativity and hard work, so they can contribute to the economic
development of our country. This must include a change in the way in
which we see ourselves relative to non-Batswana stakeholders in
different spheres of life, and the absolute need to embrace the
realities of the internationalisation and globalisation processes. It
will also demand an acceptance that Government's empowerment policies
will increasingly be based on ability, effective delivery, wealth
creation and capacity building through skill development and hard work,
rather than on entitlement.

15 With reference to the third D, Dignity, no one should need to
live an undignified life as a result of poor shelter or health and abuse
in a domestic environment. Anything in life that brings you suffering
affects your dignity as a person and we shall seek to address and
overcome some of these challenges.

16 Living in dignity must go hand in hand with being treated with
dignity. In this regard I call upon all of us, politicians, the public
service, and the private sector to ensure that our interaction with the
public must at all times be underpinned by dignity. Botho is an
integral part of our culture. Every citizen must (especially the
political leadership) strive to maintain our culture of modesty and
avoid extravagance at all costs.

17 Last, but not least the fourth D, is the principle of
Discipline. Nothing can be achieved successfully without discipline in
any society. May I quote President Mogae again when he said, "As I
prepare to leave office, let me ask that we take a firm stand against
all the negative tendencies that are creeping into our society and
defacing our image." end Quote.

18 Allow me to highlight some of the social problems in our society
that we need to address as a nation. These range from alcohol abuse,
reckless driving on our roads, disrespect for elders, vandalising of
school property, wastage of scarce resources such as water, the use of
abusive language in public discourse and defamation, slander and false
statements in the media. The examples I have cited reflect a lack of
discipline by some sections of our community.

19 Batswana must be reminded that in a democracy, the rights and
freedoms of one individual end where those of other citizens begin.
Freedoms go hand in hand with responsibility.

20 The 4 D's, I believe will help guide us towards our National
Vision 2016. As Batswana we have formulated a clear roadmap of our
future. We can only realise this noble vision through focussed actions,
by government, business and citizenry. Two major strategies have
recently been developed to help realise Vision 2016. They are the
Business Economic Advisory Council's Economic Strategy designed to drive
our country's much needed economic diversification, and a Brand Strategy
- to inform ourselves and the world what Botswana holds in store for
investors, visitors, traders and foreign residents.

21 To actualise the contribution these two strategies will make
towards realising Vision 2016, it will be necessary to make some changes
in the way our country operates. This requires decisive and
inspirational leadership in both government and business to instil
self-confidence in the workforce and inculcate a results-oriented
culture. It also necessitates better organisational skills and
capacities to effect the changes required. Our young people need
jobs-ready training and education to obtain the skills business
requires. They need to be equipped with the abilities and mindsets to
excel in their jobs and to start and grow their own enterprises.

22 Accelerating globalisation and the rapidly changing
international economic environment and related competitive pressures
will continue to have a dramatic impact on Botswana. This change
process also fuels the international fight to attract scarce and often
highly sophisticated skills and know-how, and the Foreign Direct
Investment which can commercialise such skills and thus help achieve
longer term economic success.

23 These developments dictate that Botswana must reposition itself.
Botswana must learn to benchmark itself internationally, and we,
collectively and individually, must develop the capacity to compete
internationally on equal terms. This is the basis for our policy
"Citizen Empowerment through Excellence".

24 I shall set up a special Committee of Cabinet responsible for
economic issues and employment that will report to Cabinet monthly on
progress made with regards these various initiatives. This committee
will be headed by the Vice President.

25 Finally I intend to try and find ways to phase out any excessive
or counter-productive bureaucracy. Our public service, at both central
and local level, must become optimally efficient, transparent, motivated
and disciplined. Within Government I will continue to attach importance
to team work, accountability, effective co-ordination and providing
staff with clear objectives and targets.

26 To this end I shall start by laying out to the Cabinet and the
entire senior management of government in a meeting later this week and
with local authorities next week, my expectations of them with respect
to making good on the pledges we have made to Batswana. As part of a
team charged with delivering services and development to the nation, I
hope they are all up to the task because those unable to deliver cannot
be kept on the team.

27 Bagaetsho, "Success starts with a vision, but nothing will come
of it unless the follow-through is swift and only single minded pursuit
of goals brings success"

"We cannot stand still - we must improve further on our past gains. With
the support of the nation I will do my best to lift Botswana to the next
level of development"

28 Let me conclude by thanking all of you for your attention, and
to all those who have sent messages of goodwill to me, and to those who
have travelled from afar to be here for this occasion. PULA PULA PULA
PULA