Clinton Lauds Botswana’s Accomplishments

President Clinton traveled Sunday from Africa’s youngest democracy to its oldest, where he praised the government and people of Botswana for being a model for the rest of the continent for 30 years.

“We have seen the promise of a new Africa whose roots are deep here in your soil, for you have been an inspiration to all who cherish freedom,” Clinton told a prosperous-looking crowd after arriving here from South Africa, just to the south. The spectators greeted his comments with applause and ululations.

Botswana, the fifth African country the president has visited, epitomizes the African renaissance that Clinton has been plugging throughout his trip. It is Clinton’s hope that Botswana’s success will encourage other African nations, such as South Africa, that face greater obstacles in their paths to stability.

The president started his day in South Africa, going to services at Regina Mundi Roman Catholic Church, which served as a refuge for members of the popular movement that replaced the country’s apartheid system with democracy four years ago.

“I am profoundly honored to be in this great house of God, which is also a great shrine of freedom, for it was here that you and the people before you gathered to stand for the freedom of the people of South Africa when it was denied you,” Clinton said at the church in Soweto, the sprawling slum outside Johannesburg where at least 3 million black South Africans live because under apartheid they were barred from residing in the real cities.

The congregation of about 1,000 gathered in the church enthusiastically welcomed the president, giving him a spontaneous standing ovation when he walked up to the altar to speak.

During Clinton’s three days in South Africa, he repeatedly urged the leaders and the people not to be discouraged about the long path ahead of them to right the wrongs of apartheid and build their new society.

At church, he reminded the crowd that the first black South African to win a medal at the Olympics was Josia Thugwane, a marathoner, and told them he thought that was “fitting” given their long struggle for freedom.

“The fight to make the most of your freedom, to do the right things with your freedom, to give your children the right future with your freedom--that too will be a marathon,” Clinton said. “But we want to run the race with you.”

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Throughout the president’s unprecedented 12-day tour of Africa, he has tried to focus on the positive changes taking place on the continent and to dispel many Americans’ stereotypical view of Africa.

Half of the 48 nations in sub-Saharan Africa have elected their governments, and many have growing economies. The president hopes that by drawing attention to the progress underway on the continent, he will encourage more African nations to embrace democracy and will spark support in the United States for assisting them in reforms.

Botswana is the prime example on the continent that democracy can improve lives for Africans and that U.S. investment in Africa is worthwhile.

“At your independence three decades ago, Botswana was among the poorest countries on Earth, with only two miles of paved roads and one public secondary school,” Clinton told a few thousand people gathered on the lawn of the State House, the president’s official residence in Gaborone, the capital. “Today, you have a vibrant economy, a network of major highways, almost full enrollment in primary schools and the longest average life span in sub-Saharan Africa.”

Since gaining its independence from Britain in 1966, the Texas-sized country has held regular, free and fair elections, and it has a remarkably good record for upholding human rights. The current president, 72-year-old Ketumile Masire, announced in November that he planned to retire. He is stepping down Tuesday after 18 years in office, and his vice president, Festus Mogae, will take over the presidency until elections next year.

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Botswana’s economy is in such good shape that the Peace Corps late last year decided to end its projects here, and the U.S. Agency for International Development has stopped direct assistance. Trade and foreign investment have supplanted aid from the United States.

Clinton was not the only American praising the Botswanan success story Sunday. Rep. Edward R. Royce (R-Fullerton), chairman of the House subcommittee on Africa, presented Masire with a special resolution passed unanimously by the House recognizing Botswana for its “long-standing commitment to democracy.”

Royce, the one Republican member of Congress in Clinton’s delegation, took the trip to rally support for the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act, legislation designed to increase the flow of trade and investment between the United States and Africa. The measure passed the House this month, and Royce and the Clinton administration hope that the president’s positive trip to Africa will encourage the Senate to pass it too.

“Botswana is anticipated to be one of the countries which would immediately qualify for the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act and a special trade relationship with the United States,” Royce said.

“Botswana has been a country that has made the economic and political reforms necessary to give it a stable democratic foundation and stable economic growth rate,” he said. “One of the things we’re trying to focus African countries on is that when these types of economic reforms are adopted, economic growth results and living standards improve. Botswana is a very good example.”

Masire said his country hopes “the United States Senate will need no persuasion” to pass the legislation, which he said would give the U.S. a “solemn bond” with Africa.

Masire punctuated his speech by raising his open palm and shouting “Pula!,” which in the Setswanan language means “rain” and, more important, the prosperity that rain brings to a desert country like Botswana. It is also the name of the nation’s currency.

Later Sunday, Clinton announced that the U.S. plans to start a radio service similar to the Voice of America aimed at promoting democracy in Africa. Then he set off to spend two days enjoying one of Botswana’s natural riches--its wildlife. The president and his wife, Hillary Rodham Clinton, traveled to northern Botswana to go on safari and take a brief break from the hectic pace of his African odyssey.