The BDP stands at a crossroads
Isaiah Morewagae | Friday December 20, 2013 14:47
This year the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) had what was more like a rollercoaster ride. Its events had the good and the bad. The BDP had some memorable and enjoyable moments, which saw the return of some of its key members from opposition parties, especially its ‘offspring,’ the Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD), as well as its 25th national congress that was held in Maun.
But there were also some rough patches in the BDP’s journey this year.
The sad part is that the ruling party’s events this year were characterised more instability, especially after the election of its new central committee in Maun chaired by Samson Guma Moyo, who resigned from the position last week.
Moyo resigned six months after congress stating that his resignation was due to pain and embarrassment he suffered following media reports alleging that he was orchestrating a scheme to undermine and subvert the Government of Botswana and to frustrate President Ian Khama’s succession plans with the aid of foreign countries.
He said he wanted be given time to clear his name and for the CC to focus mainly on the bigger picture of elections without any detraction.
The party has been characterised by other unpleasant events, more so that this year was the year in which the party began its preparations for next year’s general elections, hence its primary elections that are better known as “Bulela Ditswe” whereby party members contest against one another to select candidates for next year’s general elections.
The party has seen events such as the court case that will see it, for the first time in history, without a candidate in a bye-election, namely in Francistown West following the death of incumbent MP Tshelang Masisi who died after long illness on August 28 this year.
The party also had serious problems with issuance of membership cards to its followers before the primary elections, which also saw some Tsholetsa House staff members implicated in messing with the cards.
The inappropriate and illegal issuing of cards by staff members in return for cash saw the suspension of one parliamentary candidate, Chris Nthuba, from the contest against returnee Botsalo Ntuane in the Gaborone Bonnington South constituency.
The result was Ntuane standing unopposed in the primaries of a party he once abandoned to form the Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD).
Matters were worsened by unstable and biased party structures that hid the membership cards of those not in their camps.
This year will also for the one in which an unprecedented number of incumbent MPs and cabinet ministers lost the primaries to mainly young novices.
The ministers include health minister Dr John Seakgosing, foreign affairs minister Phandu Skelemani, assistant presidential affairs minister Dr Gloria Somolokae, local government minister Peter Siele, assistant local government minister Lebonaamang Mokalake, and assistant agriculture minister Oreeditse Molebatsi.
This year the BDP postponed its primaries, also a first for the ruling party, forcing its members to scrutinize the central committee (CC) who felt it was failing to advise or control the party’s electoral board.
Though in the end the BDP finished its primaries in two weeks, it received an unprecedented rush of 40 protests from failed for parliamentary and council aspirants. Among the protests was perhaps the one that became the most controversial when President Ian Khama’s first cousin Ramadeluku Seretse bit the dust in Serowe North East.
Subsequently the electoral board, which is chaired by Parks Tafa - who is a confidante of President Khama like no other - ordered a a re-run whose results proved to be a more emphatic rejection of Seretse and the embrace of his rival Kgotla Autwetse, who had twice before lost the primaries to the son of Ngwato royalty under controversial circumstances.
In the 2008 primary elections, Seretse won the 2008 primaries in a re-run, but Autlwetse – whose name means “it is understood” but could also mean one “who has heard enough,” was not going to take it lying down this time around.
This week, the BDP was forced to appoint a deputation of four to look into the flurry of protests as a matter of urgency and then advise the CC regarding which cases merit re-runs. The tone of the assisgment is one that suggests that its conclusions will be binding.
The four are Tebatso Lekalake-Mashabela, Victor Motobake, Alec Seametso and Lesego Pule. Lekalake-Mashabela is an additional member of CC, Motobake is a MP, Seametso is a councillor and secretary for the party’s political education committee, while Pule is a member of the electoral board.
A question that arises from the messy state of affairs at the BDP will capitalise on them or whether the BDP will regroup and emerge stronger for the general elections next year.
Botswana Congress Party (BCP)
The BCP this year continued to show stability in its primary elections. Though it failed to mobile most of its members for the primaries, in the end it conducted them without much incident.
It introduced a new requirement for members to vote only when they produce voter registration cards, thus locking out those who did not register for the elections.
Even though the primaries not over, for most constituencies have voted and the party’s electoral committee has received only two protests so far.
The BCP aim is to win 22 constituencies in the general elections. To that end, the party has recruiting from others and intellectuals from the University of Botswana.
It also held its elective congress for the first time close to general elections when it normally congress for fear of instability. The managed its internal problems quite well because it long of what internalised conflict resolution.
The party recently accepted that certain aspects of its affirmative action programme could prove difficult to put into effect at this stage. The idea was to have a bias for the disabled, the youth and women when it adopted affirmative action at its national conference in Sefhare last year.
Botswana National Front (BNF)
For the first time in many years, Botswana’s erstwhile official opposition party, the Botswana national Front, held trouble-free primary elections, giving rise to hopes that it will approach next year’s general elections in a more solid shape than before.
The year 2013 seemed to be quite a good one for the party more affectionately known as Puo Phaa.
In the run-up to the Gantsi elective Congress, there were fears that the BNF would not emerge in one piece. In the end, the BNF surprised many when it did when many had predicted a resurrection of the Temporary Platform of veteran activists like Dr Elmon Tafa who lost the vice presidency to Same Bathobakae.
BNF president Duma Boko surprised many when he appeared alongside Tafa at a press briefing after the congress when Tafa had earlier criticised Boko’s leadership, especially the leader’s handling of elections in Gantsi.
The BNF’s cooperation with the Botswana Movement for Democracy and the Botswana People’s Party to form the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) seems to have injected a new level of confidence in the capacity of the opposition to win elections and form a government. Of note is the fact that the BNF’s latest primaries attracted the highest-ever number of voters in the precursor to general elections.