EXTRACT FROM MY NOT YET
PUBLISHED MANUSCRIPT “CORRIDORS OF POWER”
My first intimate contact with Sir Ketumile Masire,
the man who was to become President of Botswana for 19 years, was in 1980 when
as Vice President he abruptly cut his trip to the People’s Republic of China
due to the terminal illness of his predecessor Sir Seretse Khama. I was a
senior journalist then with the Government Department of Information and
Broadcasting working for Radio Botswana and the Daily News. Sir Seretse Khama
had just returned from London where he had gone for treatment but was returned
by his doctors so that he "could die peacefully among his people."
The charismatic and immensely popular founder President of the former British
colony was dying of cancer.
I first interviewed Vice President Masire when he was
known then by his unique but popular first name of Quett, before he changed his
title to Sir Ketumile Masire later when he was bestowed the British Knighthood
by Queen Elizabeth II. Quett, as he was popularly known then, was regarded
nationally as the moneyman, being the Minister of Finance and Development
Planning. The man's trademark was his high-pitched
laughter that echoed around the corridors of every building he occupied and
announced him at every occasion. The idiosyncrasy was to become part of his
personality and eventually a cherished sound among his supporters and
compatriots.
The intention of the interview was to get answers to
the burning questions in the minds of every concerned citizen of Botswana-,
which was virtually everyone. Now that the nation of this fledgling democracy,
was about to lose the only president that they had known, what was going to
happen to the leadership of the country? Would Vice President Masire take over
automatically? It was common knowledge then that the rather reticent Quett
Masire had not shown any ambitions to ascend to the presidency of the country.
Masire was believed to be reluctant to become captain of this peaceful but
politically and economically fragile southern African state. We posed the
questions to Quett Masire. As was always the case, we quickly realized that
what Quett Masire lacked in physical stature, he made up for in his remarkable
gift of repartee. Admittedly, at first contact before and during his
presidency, and even afterwards, one did not have to be Quett Masire’s puppet
to discern his obvious superior intellect. His mastery of both the English
language and the national language, Setswana, made him a versatile orator and
slippery maestro of intellectual gymnastics.
Quett Masire ensured that the bulk of the interview
concentrated on his trip to China. The Chinese culture and their work ethic, in
particular, had visibly impressed him. I was with colleagues Moreri Gabakgore
and Monty Letshwiti when he told us:-
"If I had my way, I would take the entire nation
of Botswana to China for them to see how hard working the Chinese are. They
have ploughed ever where, even on mountain tops……."
[The manuscript awaits publication]
