A Fine Balance: Assessing the Quality of Governance in Botswana

Introduction

IDASA’S DEMOCRACY INDEX INTRODUCTION BY GAPE KABOYAKGOSI & KENEILWE MARATA This Introduction has several aims, the first of which is to set out evidence affirming Botswana’s credentials as a democracy. It goes on to demonstrate that Botswana is actually a minimalist democracy: a system that does as little as possible to engender participation , transparency, access to social support, accountability and human rights, among other things. It then notes emerging calls for change based on persistent signs of disagreement with the status quo. The importance of these is their multiplicity of tactics and broadness of base, putting in question the image of Botswana as a stable democracy. Thereafter this chapter points the way forward by predicting some future areas of contestation, which include the Constitution, socio-economic issues, governance and corruption. BOTSWANA’S GREAT DEMOCRATIC STORY Botswana is a multi-party democracy, having held elections every five years since 1966, when it received independence from the UK. It is Africa’s oldest and most consistent democracy in that respect. The strength of democracy in Botswana has been recognised in many ways: in 2008, for instance, the Mo Ibrahim Foundation awarded a former president, Festus Mogae, the Ibrahim Prize for excellence as a Head of State,1 and even before that INTRODUCTION 3 the country had been elected to the Security Council of the United Nations. Botswana has also experienced three presidential changes, all within a legal, constitutional framework. Numerous governance indicators show Botswana performing well. In the World Bank’s Worldwide Governance Indicators, Botswana is given very high ratings for sub-indicators such as ‘government effectiveness’, ‘regulatory quality’, ‘political stability’, ‘rule of law’ and ‘control of corruption’: the country consistently scores in the upper quartiles, with the exception of ‘voice and accountability’, which has demonstrated worrying declines (see Moatlhaping & Moletsane in this volume). The Ibrahim Index of African Governance, which is dedicated to promoting good governance in Africa, also shows Botswana consistently in the top three performers on the continent in terms of good governance (sub-indicators include ‘participation and human rights’, ‘rule of law’, ‘transparency and corruption’, ‘safety and security’, ‘sustainable economic opportunity’ and ‘human development’).2 In terms of ethical governance, Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index has awarded Botswana top place in Africa since 1996.3 To facilitate accountability, the Botswana government operates on the separation-ofpowers model, with the three branches of government – legislature, judiciary and executive – relatively independent of one another. To facilitate decentralisation, Botswana has 16 district councils, of which six are urban and ten rural. These councils are statutory entities, but not constitutionally enshrined. Yet, while functioning by and large as extensions of central implementation capacity, they serve to deepen local democratic culture as their members are elected directly by people in their localities. Botswana also observes human rights. The citizens enjoy certain freedoms, enshrined in the Constitution, that are often termed ‘first-generation rights’, such as the right to freedom of association, the right to life and the right to freedom of movement (see Mogwe & Melville in this volume). Botswana also ensures that civil society enjoys many freedoms, such as the freedom to operate in the country without hindrance or harassment by the State (Maundeni 2005). From the registration of societies to their day-to-day operations, there is minimal State interference (Kaunda 2008). With its economy heavily dependent on diamonds, another well-documented characteristic of Botswana is that the nation consistently invests diamond revenues into extensive social expenditure for the protection of less affluent members of society. This makes Botswana one of the highest per capita spenders on education in Africa, and its figures for access to health, education and water are probably among the highest on the continent too. For instance, 85% of the population are within a five-kilometre radius of a health facility and 96% have access to healthy drinking water. The government also provides free, universal access to antiretroviral drugs to members of the population with HIV and AIDS. Furthermore, a 12-year education is free and universal in Botswana (Vision Council 2009). THE CHARACTERISTICS OF A MINIMALIST DEMOCRACY That Botswana is a democracy is not in question. However, the challenge lies in agreeing on the quality or depth of the democracy. Critics of the system, such as Kenneth Good, have termed it ‘authoritarian liberalism’ (Good 1996). Similarly Botlhomilwe et al. (2011) 4 A FINE BALANCE: ASSESSING THE QUALITY OF GOVERNANCE IN BOTSWANA IDASA’S...