• Acknowledgements
  

Acknowledgements

This booklet is based on a workshop on the topic of Effective Representation in Botswana held on 7-8 November 1997 in Gaborone. The workshop was organised by Emang Basadi and the Botswana Caucus of Women in Politics (BCWP) and attended by women parliamentary and council representatives from different political parties in Botswana. The author, Dr. Patrick Molutsi of the University of Botswana, would like to extend his gratitude to the chairperson of the Caucus, the Honourable Minister of Local Government, Lands and Housing, Mrs. Margaret Nasha, MP, and her Committee for their guidance in the workshop and during the write up of this manuscript. I also wish to express my appreciation to a number of individuals who made the two-day workshop on effective representation a success. I wish particularly to mention Dr. Peter Oesterdiekhoff of the FES for the financial and professional contribution to the editing of the booklet and thank Emang Basadi for providing the usual professional and technical support.

It is my hope that both women and men representatives, current and future political leaders as well as others in positions of leadership (chiefs, land board members, leaders of non-governmental organisations and school boards) will find this booklet of some assistance to them in their work. Let me point out, however, that there is no blueprint on effective representation. This is because conditions for leadership differ from one country to another and within the same country (e.g. from one region to another) depending on several factors, which include population characteristics and development needs. This booklet does not, therefore, pretend to be a blueprint on effective representation in Botswana. Rather, it attempts to provide some broad guidelines, to assist those leaders who recognise their political career as a service to their communities and nation.

The booklet should help them get closer to the goal of becoming true servants of the people in a democratic society. Our emphasis is that leaders are not born but created by a combination of factors and conditions within which they live. All we seek to do through this booklet is to make an input into the creation of true and informed leadership.