Botswana a role model for African countries

FOLLOWING the disputed elections in Kenya, in which approximately 1,000 people were killed and hundreds of thousands were displaced from their homes and livelihoods, there is still no functioning Kenyan government.

In the aftermath of the Zimbabwe elections, the results of the presidential election still have not yet been released. This is despite the announcement by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) electoral mission that the elections were a “peaceful and credible expression of the will of the people of Zimbabwe”. Surely a credible expression involves the announcement of credible results in a timely fashion. As the crisis mounts, Movement for Democratic Change leader Morgan Tsvangirai is calling on regional leaders to intervene and not “wait for dead bodies”.

In contrast, earlier this month, President Festus Mogae of Botswana resigned after a decade in his post to make way for a new president. Although Botswana has its challenges, it has the highest GDP per capita in sub-Saharan Africa.

Is the relative success and prosperity of Botswana, compared to other countries in the region, due to its receipt of more development aid? I doubt it. It has more to do with political stability, its ability to quietly transfer power and to govern in the interests of its citizens.

Dr LF Lacey

South Strand

Skerries

Co Dublin