It is difficult to reconcile the man in the interview with the public perception of the President. To read the local media, one would think he is a calculating cold hearted dictator hellbent on destroying all that is good in Botswana. The man in the interview was none of that.
Why can’t he develop this side of his personality and show the nation that he is not the monster he is sometimes depicted to be. Why can’t he respond when people under him make mistakes? The people want to hear what he has to say, but all too often he resorts to silence; leaving everyone guessing and speculating. Radio mall thrives when there is no official version of events. President Khama does not need spin doctors or lackeys to keep the nation informed, he just needs to come out of his shell more often. Despite his rocky relations with the private media in Botswana he should also realise that he needs them just as much as they need him. It is interesting that the birthday interview was not conducted by the tame civil service media complex, but a private radio station. The athmosphere was light, informal and friendly. Had it been on radio Botswana, I doubt this would have been the case. The climate of fear that pervades the civil service is not conducive to entertaining radio or TV programming. It would be a mistake for President Khama to think he can use the state media resources to ingratiate himself and his government to the people of Botswana. Batswana are cleverer than that. They will watch state media and then see what the privare media has to say. After getting as much information as they can, they will form their opinions.
You can fool some of the people some of the time but nobody is fooled by the state media machine. Even in the remotest areas of the country people can access information independently of the government, and they do so with a hearty appetite.
The other credibility problem facing state media is their inability to deliver news timeously. By the time the story airs on radio Botswana or BTV, its old and stale and has already been extensively covered by the private media. In this day and age, if you can’t deliver news accurately and speedily, you might as well not bother.
President Khama deserves better press that he has been getting, but he must step up to the plate more often if he wants us to sing along with him from the same songsheet. Happy birthday Mr. President.