Of Mogae, farewell speeches, white horses and heifers
| Friday January 25, 2008 00:00
Every now and then, when a president is about to leave office, there are cartoons depicting the president as a beggar out in the street, or as an unemployed vagrant.
That image could not be further from the truth. It is after their tenure that presidents become wealthier. In fact, for many presidents, their tenure is but a period of short-term political pain, in anticipation of a longer epoch of mostly economic gain.
A president earns much more after his or her tenure than during. Governments around the world know exactly how to 'take care of their own' as Americans say. Pension, side benefits and other provisions take care of the basic needs of an ex-president.
So, as much as you have not met President Ketumile Masire somewhere around the Gaborone train station footbridge looking listless with cracked lips and cupped hands, don not expect to see Festus Mogae anywhere around the city mall, cap in hand.
It is almost impossible for an ex-president or ex-prime minister to struggle financially, let alone starve out there in the streets.
On April 1, Mogae will move into a newly built freshly furnished multi-million Pula house in the high-end side of the high-end suburb of Phakalane that will be his new residence.
At that house he will be entitled to two maids, a gardener, two drivers and a number of security officers. He will have three government vehicles, a sedan, a 4-wheel drive and a pick-up van for use.
He may have an office in that house or anywhere else. The office will be fully furnished, with a state-funded telephone and utility connections.
The state will also pay a secretary, an office assistant, a private secretary and two drivers who will be at the service of the ex-president.
Every month he will be entitled to a P34, 071 allowance, the equivalent of his present salary, or any figure equivalent to 80 per cent of his successor, Ian Khama's salary, if the latter is larger.
He will also be entitled to government-funded 1st class travel anywhere around Botswana, and four international trips a year all paid for by the taxpayer.
In addition, during his time abroad, Mogae would be entitled to a per diem that will be decided on by the sitting president. In addition to his earnings, Mogae will be entitled to an entertainment allowance.
But Mogae's benefits, in comparison to other national leaders are nothing to write home about. Australian ex-Prime Minister John Howard earns Aus$ 345, 000 (P1, 847 564.77) per annum pension. He would have had the choice of getting the above figure or a lump sum of Aus$ 1.5 million (P8 032 890.29) first and then Au$172 000 (P92 1184.75) per annum afterwards. Howard like all ex-Prime Ministers is entitled to government-funded accommodation, an office, cars and security services. In addition he may fly 40 times a year within Australia for free. Britain's Tony Blair gets half his ministerial salary of 21, 437 Pounds (P259, 627.91), two-thirds of his MP salary at 57, 485 Pounds (P696, 082.32 BWP) and a flat ex-PM's allowance at 77, 534 Pounds (938,775.47) per annum. This is in addition to all the other added benefits that an ex-PM or ex-President has.
However, retired leaders of developed countries such as Blair, ex-President Bill Clinton and Howard earn much more in the corporate world than from retirement benefits.
Former presidents and prime ministers in the western world rake in millions of Dollars speaking fees, as special advisers to or non-executive members of corporate entities and from writing books.
Any former president of the United States of America is regarded as an asset to the business community. He or she is approached for advice, invited into boards and even asked to present speeches.
JP Morgan the investment body recently hired Blair to be their special adviser at a figure US$ 1 million per annum. He recently hosted a talk in China for US$500, 000 a session. Blair's lectures are said to routinely fetch a 100, 000 Pounds a session. In total he is expected to earn between 10 million and 20 million Pounds a year for the five years following his retirement according to the UK's The Daily Mail magazine.
Blair is said to have earned a million from writing his memoirs. But if there is an ex-President who is really making a killing, it is Clinton.
The former President of the United States earned far less when he was President. Clinton makes millions on the lecture circuit as one of the most sought-after speakers. In April last year the computer company IBM invited him to have a chat with them under the bright sun of the Bahamas. He went for $200, 000. In September when he made a presentation at the Fortune Forum he fetched $450, 000. Media reports indicate that in 2006 alone Clinton made roughly $10 million, up from $7.5 million the year before.
Howard is expected to earn at least a million dollars a year from speaking, performing consulting work for companies and occupying non-executive positions.
But where Mogae leads the pack is through the presents he will receive on his tour across the country.
Clinton, Blair, Howard or even Mbeki would never dream of ordinary people giving them gifts the way Mogae is set to be given in the coming few week as he travels the country.
Batswana will present Mogae with everything from their favourite jackets to donkeys, horses, stools, hens, chickens, hats, traditionally carved stools and a variety of other presents.
In what may be viewed as the kicking off of this festival of present-giving, a year ago Mogae went to Gantsi to bid the people he called the backbone of the beef industry in this country farewell.
After the customary 'thank-you's and 'farewell Mr President' had been done, someone announced that the farmers had made a collective decision to give Mogae a farewell present; 45 heifers and a bull. Given that a heifer may fetch as much as P6, 000 the farmers had given Mogae the equivalent of P270, 000, not including the bull.
Heifer bulls often fetch tens of thousands of Pula. Yesterday in Serowe, Mogae's home village, he was presented with 10 herd of cattle from the people of the region, a Brahman and three cows from Vice President Khama and his younger brother Tshekedi, a horse from Bangwato, saddle and reigns, a hat and knife, detergents and cleaning materials, house paints, from local factories and many home utensils and farming implements.
It is only the beginning of his long tour of the country and as village after village attempts to out-do each other in present giving, it may be time a cartoon is drawn of Mogae widely smiling and laying on top of a pile of cash, cattle, artifacts, farming implements, pots and everything else.