Africa-Press – Botswana. Government has taken a path of promoting peace, reconciliation and forgiveness, resisting the pressure for revenge and persecution.
The Speaker of the National Assembly, Mr Dithapelo Keorapetse made the remarks during a courtesy call from Guru Nanak Nishkam Sewak Jatha and Peace Charter for Forgiveness and Reconciliation delegation led by Professor Bhai Sahib Mohinder Singh Ahluwalia. He noted that after 58 years of one party rule, allegations of corruption, impropriety, and persecution had built up, leading some to seek revenge, adding that the current administration had taken a human rights approach.
“There has been too much pressure on President Advocate Duma Boko to fire almost everybody he found in top echelons of power in the civil service, but he has resisted those temptations,” he said.
Mr Keorapetse however expressed concern about violent crimes, particularly against women and girls, stating that Botswana was becoming one of the unsafe societies. He said there were alarming rates of gender-based violence, such as femicides and rape. Also, he noted the increasing number of divorce cases, which were disrupting family structures.
In addition, he stated that Botswana was committed to multilateralism and was a secular state where all religions were accorded freedom. Also, he said despite its imperfections, Botswana believed in the United Nations and its potential to contribute to world peace.
Professor Ahluwalia emphasised the importance of peace for all mankind, stating that humans needed both internal and external peace.
“We do wrong sometimes, but if we do not forgive, we become prisoners of ourselves,” he said.
Professor Ahluwalia also stressed the need for education to teach children values, noting that the current system empowered learners with skills but lacked teaching values.
The Clerk of the National Assembly, Dr Gabriel Malebang, said the Peace Charter for Forgiveness and Reconciliation would find fertile ground in Botswana, where peace, harmony and coexistence were deeply rooted in the country’s culture. The Peace Charter for Forgiveness and Reconciliation is a worldwide movement seeking forgiveness, reconciliation, justice, and peace. It was launched at the Religions for Peace International Conference in 2019.
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