Masisi’s BDP failures, achievements
Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Monday April 4, 2022 16:54
In the beginning, when he took over, Masisi seemed to have everything in control.
At the time, the party looked like it was regaining its lost glory. In fact, it managed even to recruit from across the opposition bloc.
By the 2019 general election, Masisi’s charisma had attracted former BDP members back into the party and even gained votes from the opposition block and the non-aligned.
However, the honeymoon was over by the time the COVID-19 pandemic hit the country. Troubles within the BDP began in 2020, as former Minister of International Affairs and Cooperation, Unity Dow resigned from her position, followed by former Minister of Labour Productivity and Skills Development and also party secretary-general Mpho Balopi in December last year after fallout with the President and the former Minister of Infrastructure and Housing Development Dr Thapelo Matsheka who was dropped from Cabinet by Masisi because of their alleged personal tension.
The tension then had gone to some lower structures amongst the party members as some councillors who were alleged to be Balopi’s sympathisers got suspended and would later be acquitted by party disciplinary hearing after two months of suspension by the party President.
Again, it was observed that recently the BDP members do not trust each other as tension between Party President and Balopi has caused factions within the party. In Mogoditshane constituency, for example, the committees are divided between the two leaders.
Balopi has even indicated that he will not defend his position as secretary-general again in the impending party elective congress.
Indeed, to prove that all is not well within the party, the recent council by-elections added more salt to BDP’s wounds as it lost nine wards to the opposition out of 12 held elections. This did not go down well with the party leadership and it has asked all its structures that had held by-elections to submit written reports on the matter.
Recently, Balopi confirmed to Mmegi that all constituencies that had held by-elections have been asked to submit a written report on what could have led to them losing those wards.
Just like president Ian Khama, Masisi’s party experienced a second split in 2018, when some members formed a new party, Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF).
During Khama’s tenure, the BDP suffered another split in 2010 when some members including Members of Parliament formed the Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD). This, however, in 2014 affected the BDP popular vote which had gone down drastically.
By then, in the parliamentary contests, the ruling BDP had garnered a total of 320,665 votes or 46.7%, which reflect a decline in the popular vote of about 6.56 percent from the 2009 general election performance.
In the 2009 general election, the BDP emerged victorious via 53.26% with 290,099 votes in its favour. Incidentally, in 1965, the first-ever election on the eve of Botswana’s independence, the BDP popular vote stood at 80.4%.
The opposition parties came out stronger in 2014 elections year and their combined performance literally hands the government over to them if they were fully united.
Under Masisi, the BDP got 38 MP seats, Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) 15, BPF three and Alliance for Progressives (AP) one.
At council level, out of 490 seats, BDP got 332, UDC 129, BPF 17, AP one, Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD) one while independent candidate won four. This was despite the fact that a high profile Khama had gone against his former party (BDP).
Despite all the challenges that the President has faced during his tenure, there are good things that he has done for his party as prescribed by the party constitution.
The BDP constitution’s article 34 which speaks to the powers and functions of the President states; “he is the principal spokesperson of the party on national and international affairs, convenes meetings of the central committee, presides over meetings of the central committee, gives instructions on any matter to any official of the party to exercises any powers or specific functions for and on behalf of the party or central committee as may be valid and lawful.”
Even during the hard times of the COVID-19 pandemic, Masisi was able to take advantage of technology by ensuring that the party central committee meetings were held and key decisions that needed party attention resolved.
Masisi played a major role on women issues in the party by ensuring that he brought in four women as Specially Elected MPs, and it is only during his tenure that a woman was appointed to be a Minister of Finance in government.
Apart from the party, he had promised his members that women will be appointed to different government sectors which he exceptionally did well.
University of Botswana political lecturer, Shirley Monyatsi said Masisi has done well on international travels since Batswana bear fruits in years to come as investors will want to come and invest in the country.
“Of course, investors do not make a quick decision but they will definitely come to make market research and show interest later. It might happen now, it may happen two or years to come and that will address issues of unemployment that the country is crying about. It will be unfair if we cannot applaud him for the role he played during the COVID-19 pandemic. He has ensured that Batswana got vaccinated and he was forced to make some decisions that we did not like to save lives. That’s what I true leader does. At BDP forums, Masisi had promised his members that he will deal with issues of corruption, I believe it is now happening to look at developments of investigations in our country,” Monyatsi said.
She said one of the issues that he had been speaking of was a constitutional review that had started.
She, however, said the only challenge that might be there on it, is that the voice of an ordinary Motswana is left out since small villages are not going to be reached.
Another issue that the analyst believes that Masisi has done well on is live Parliament which she says is helping Batswana to gauge their MPs and it will help them to be accountable even at party level.
In addition, Monyatsi said Masisi must improve on the issue of consultation even at party level so that members are not in the dark about some important issues.
“When he took over, he had promised his members that he will keep on consulting with them on what is happening in government and party issues. He is accountable to them and the public therefore, he must do so,” she said.
The BDP Women’s Wing chairperson Veronica Lesole says Masisi has done well as compared to other presidents when it comes to women's issues.
“Our party has done so well in the 2019 general election because of him. Many people came back to the party. If it was not because of the COVID-19 pandemic, our country and party could be very far. We need to thank him because he has saved the country for two years and ensured that the economy is running though it was not fully. For two years, Masisi had to focus on fighting COVID-19. He is now emphasising party structures to be functional and to go back to our roots as a party. There is no party without challenges, but he stood up to all challenges he faced. We as members, our aim is to help him because it is also our party,” Lesole said.