International Politics: Botswana’s opposition victory is a message to Cameroon
By Hans Ngala
After 58 years in power, the will of the Botswanan people triumphed on Friday, November 1st, 2024, as the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) was dealt a stinging blow by the opposition Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC).
Outgoing president Mukgweetsi Masisi congratulated his opponent, Duma Boko, and said he was on standby to offer any needed support.
Both men, nearly a decade apart in age – Masisi is 63 and Boko is 54 – are relatively much younger politicians in comparison to Cameroon, where the average politician’s age is 70 and he has probably been in politics for 40 plus, years.
Botswana, a relatively calm African country is never in the news for the wrong reasons. It is either in the news as one of the countries with some of the best freedom of expression laws in Africa or one of the countries with the largest diamonds or when a new president has been elected.
Friday was one such occasion where the diamond-rich country made news again as its opposition won the presidency for the first time in nearly 60 years, ushering in the country’s 6th president.
What Can Cameroon Learn from Botswana?
If anything, Botswana has shown Cameroon that change – no matter how long it takes, will come. The message is clear: the will of the people (which is what true democracy means), will always triumph, no matter what.
After nearly 60 years in power and a stagnating economy, the BDP was getting comfortable and incumbent president Dr. Mukgweetsi Masisi had nothing new to offer and was just relying on his incumbency, but the UDC of Duma Boko was more appealing with its promises of more jobs, service delivery, doubling the minimum wage and creating a more independent judiciary.
Cameroon under President Paul Biya’s 40-year-rule has witnessed dilapidating infrastructure (including in the capital city Yaounde) where most roads are an eyesore, sweeping censorship which even forbids discussions around the President’s health as if he is some kind of monarch and an ever-growing discontent from the public with Biya’s supporters making vain attempts at a propaganda documentary which was aired in various towns across the country in an attempt to sanitize Biya’s image.
The Guardian Post in a recent issue, listed some pressing issues Biya ought to address, describing the country as being in “a coma”.
The month of November began on a rather different note in Botswana. Incumbent President Masisi accepted his defeat and congratulated Duma Boko, ensuring a smooth transition of power that would avoid bloodshed.
The United States government, a close ally of Botswana’s, through her Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, issued a statement saying “The United States congratulates the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) and President-elect Duma Boko on their historic victory in Botswana’s 2024 elections.
Botswana’s free elections reflect the voice of the people of Botswana in shaping their future. The United States reaffirms our support for Botswana’s long-standing commitment to democracy and our shared partnership rooted in common values.
We also commend President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi for his leadership and appreciate his commitment to democratic principles, as demonstrated by his pledge to support the next government and his commitment to a peaceful transfer of power”.
Compare that with comments from the former US Ambassador to Cameroon, Peter Barlerin who in 2018 (when Biya had been in power for 36 years) said Biya “should be thinking about his legacy and how he wants to be remembered”, The New York Times reported at the time. The ambassador cited George Washington and Nelson Mandela as “excellent role models” whom Biya could learn from. People in the pro-Biya camp took offence to the diplomat’s comments, including Banda Kani who frequently makes TV appearances. Kani hurled insults at Ambassador Barlerin and said Barlerin “would go home in a coffin”.
President Biya was out of the country recently for more than 40 days and news, rumours and speculations about his health and whereabouts started to circulate online to the point where the government felt threatened and warned that any discussions about his health, amounted to a threat to national security. Territorial Administration Minister, Paul Atanga Nji even tasked government appointees to go as far as monitoring online spaces and making arrests of defaulters.
As another presidential election comes up in 2025, the nearly 92-year-old Paul Biya who recently made changes in the military to further cement his grip on power, will be running for office again – having ruled the country since 1982.
The lesson from Botswana (which has not bent the rules nearly as much as Cameroon), is that regardless of how long it takes, the will of the people usually prevails. The Botswana Democratic Party would hardly have thought this was the case after their nearly 60 years in power.
Last year, neighbouring Gabon saw a seismic shift which sent ripples into Cameroon and authorities feeling threatened also banned any discussions about the possibility of any coup in Cameroon, not that any has been attempted since 1984 when an attempted coup saw Biya change his approach to tactics and begin his reshuffling of key positions in the army and government, a tactic that has kept him in office ever since.
In 2022 when asked by a French reporter if he planned to step down soon, he claimed that the will of the people would decide whether he stayed or returned to the village. But is this really true? At almost 92 years of age and in the sunset years of his life, it is clear that Biya has no intentions of ever relinquishing power but what new thing can he deliver to Cameroonians, many of whom were born after he had already been president for many years?
