Botswana will hold its 11th general elections on 24 October this year. Botswana is the member of the Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference (SACBC). Rt. Rev. Bishop Valentine Tsamma Seane, the Bishop of Gaborone has issued the following Pastoral letter.
Dear Brothers and Sisters, the faithful and all people of good will,
His Excellency Lt. Gen. Seretse Khama Ian Khama has announced the date for our country’s general Election to be held on the 24th October 2014. This calls all the loving citizens who have registered for the elections to check that their registration card and valid Omang card are kept in a safe place ready for this important day. It will be a public holiday.
It is our duty as responsible citizens to exercise our right to choose the leaders
and government that will respect human dignity and create better life for all.
Botswana is where it is now because it was blessed with good leadership from its birth
as an independent state till present time we are still enjoying the good fruits of
our good leaders. In order to continue to prosper as a nation we need to preserve
this legacy by exercising our right to vote for good leaders of our choice. Every
five years we are given an opportunity to evaluate, assess and make our choice.
LEADERSHIP
Definition: leadership has been described as a ‘process of social influence in which
one person is able to influence and enlist the aid support of others in the accomplishment
of a common task.’ Leaders carry out this process by applying their leadership attributes,
such as their beliefs, values, ethics, character, knowledge and skills. Ultimately
leadership is about creating a way for people to contribute to making something extraordinary
HAPPEN.
CHRISTIAN WORLD
Christian world views leadership as stewardship of divinely provided resources; human
and material, centered on the mystery of the Trinity, Creation, the fall and redemption. As
Christians when we pray the “Lord’s prayers’ we say ‘Your kingdom come on earth as
it is in heaven.’ We use our right to vote in order to choose a government that will
facilitate the coming on the kingdom of God on earth here and now. A kingdom that
will provide our daily bread, peace, prosperity and respect for human dignity, emphasizing
the common good and co-division. We are to vote for a government that promotes BOTHO.
As voters we should know what the political parties stand for; their manifestos so
that we make informed decisions. We vote with knowledge.
THE ROLE OF THE CHURCH
The church has a spiritual role, to link present and future (religion and development) through motivating effective engagement of believers in economic activity, ensuring that the common good is promoted, providing right information so that right policy choice is made and promote Christian values in order to form a loving nation with good morals. The Catholic Church does not identify itself with any political party or ideology, but will encourage the faithful to choose the party that fulfills the social teaching of the church on good governance.
GOOD GOVERNANCE AND THE CATHOLIC SOCIAL TEACHING
Many of the secular definition of Good Governance are found in the social teaching
of the church. These include:
• Respect for dignity of the human person
• Good stewardship
• The rights and responsibilities of individuals and communities
• Subsidiary
• Common good
• Respect for private property
• Preferential Option for the poor
Make your voice to be heard and counted for the good of our proud Nation.
Vote on the 24th October 2014, it is your right.
His Lordship Rt. Rev. Bishop Valentine Tsamma Seane. Bishop of Gaborone.
25th August 2014
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