President amplifies mindset change appeal
President Mokgweetsi Masisi says mind- set change is the vehicle through which Botswana can achieve a transition to a high- income status that creates wealth, sustainable jobs, driven by intellect and innovations. He said, it is in this regard that on the 20th July 2023, he launched the National Mind- Set Change Campaign. Further, that the change the country wants is one that promotes positive self- value, hard work, strong ethics of work and good governance, meritocracy and the pursuit of excellence. When addressing the Botswana Democratic Party ( BDP) members at the party’s Extra- Ordinary last weekend, Masisi further explained that there is need to create a self- value that places premium on the public’s thinking, creativity, and the productions therefrom, whether tangible and intangible. “Let this discourse be driven by a genuine commitment to uncover solutions to the challenges our nation and its people face. It’s imperative that we acknowledge the pressing need for swift action. The time has come – or rather, the moment is upon us – to openly engage in substantive discussions on policy matters. This is our opportunity to showcase that there remains no viable alternative but for us to lead and surpass our competition in the arena of ideas and political influence,” said the president. He challenged BDP members to encourage everyone at every level of the BDP to focus on the foresight and to articulate their opinions about how the future should be shaped. “We must do this so that we energise and mobilise democrats, young and old, as our only security for winning the 2024 General Elections,” he added.
Adding, “I am also enthralled to outline a positive future driven by a restoration of the spirit of self- reliance, self- value, and strong work ethic in pursuit of excellence. These are some of the values upon which our nation is anchored, values bequeathed upon us by our forebears. We must rely on these values, our inheritance, to transition ourselves from the upper- middle income to high income status as a people and country.”
He said in spite of the set- back occasioned by the Covid- 19 pandemic, they remain committed to the BDP promise to Batswana; the promise of creating sustainable jobs and an inclusive economy in which all shall have a meaningful role to play and a stake. Masisi stated that they shall attain this through the relentless pursuit of the reprioritisation of their mandate in the form of the Reset and Reclaim Agenda and the Economic Recovery and Transformation Plan ( ERTP), together with the National Transformation Strategy that will be processed for approval by Cabinet very soon.
“In essence, our journey is one of relentless action and relentless progress. We have transformed ideas into tangible outcomes, and our commitment to a prosperous and sustainable future for Botswana remains unwavering. Let us move forward with renewed vigor, as we continue to write the chapters of our nation’s success story, the key one being moving Botswana towards the highincome status. To achieve this we need to change.”
According to Masisi, thorough thought and planning pointed to a clear need for change, and a national mind- set change in respect of worldviews, choices and actions became a clear vessel through which a comprehensive change of society and economy has to be carried out or effected.
He pointed out that in general terms, mind- set refers to an individuals’ attitude, beliefs, and the way they typically think, both singularly and as part of a social group or a collective, because of social learning and interpersonal relations. The president indicated that beneath and beyond attitude and thought lie influencers such as culture.
“Culture provides a meta- context to a way of thinking and a frame of mind that sets a stage for particular choices and actions, and how we interact with others. Thus, culture is a construct that frames how people think, act, live, and is the foundation of context. Thus appreciated, a mindset change strategy was conceived, firstly, on a clear understanding of the effect of cultural change that has resulted from interactions with colonialism, post- colonial era and the responsibility of the individual to the self and society,” Masisi said.