This came to the fore when the president of the Alliance for Progressives (AP), Ndaba Gaolathe, officially opened the party’s elective congress on Saturday at Adansonia Hotel.
It is in the public domain that two protagonists, the Botswana Congress Party (BCP) and Botswana National Front (BNF), in the UDC which also includes the Botswana People’s Party (BPP), are embroiled in a toxic leadership battle that is precipitated by governance issues.
The BCP accuses the president of the UDC and BNF, Duma Boko, of being a dictator and running the UDC as a one-man show. Boko denies the accusations. There are even fears that the BCP is on the precipice of leaving the UDC because of governance issues within the tripartite coalition.
The status quo has rattled the AP – which is in talks with the UDC to join it – and from Gaolathe’s speech on Saturday, it became apparent that he is rattled by the goings-on within the UDC. As such, Gaolathe made an impassioned plea to his supporters and the nation at large to be wary of 'untruthful politicians'. During his address to multitudes of party die-hards, Gaolathe first threw barbs at the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) saying that it is responsible for maladies such as increasing petrol and food prices that are afflicting the nation, especially the poor, amongst others.
Gaolathe’s speech was mainly punctuated by the biblical expression “the truth shall set you (us) free”, and as such, he implored the nation to make a thorough balancing exercise when voting for people who assume positions of authority. “Voting dishonest people into positions of authority will not take you anywhere.
Doing so will set you along a path of misery where vital things such as medication are lacking in health facilities despite the country being endowed with natural resources that could make life easier for you if they are fully exploited,” Gaolathe pleaded. He also made a thinly veiled attack on the Botswana National Front (BNF) saying that it is no different from the BDP because some of its leaders abhor the truth. “I am appealing to Batswana to not vote for untruthful people not necessarily in the BDP but even in opposition.
It is very expensive to vote such characters into power. The BDP and another party that I cannot mention which you however know for fear of repercussions is led by some dishonest people. You should open your eyes and see these untruthful characters,” Gaolathe said taking pot shots at the BNF. This is more so because it is in the public domain that the AP and BCP are consorting and have met several times to discuss working together. The AP backed the BCP during the scandal-hit Bophirima ward by-election when the latter decided to contest it outside of the UDC although it (BCP) is an affiliate of the UDC.
This is even though the AP is a signatory to the Memorandum of Understanding with the UDC to cooperate during all by-elections until the 2024 General Elections. In addition, it will be illogical to say that the unnamed opposition party that Gaolathe was referring to is the Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF), as he described the party as being "very accommodative and cooperative during the cooperation negotiations" unlike the BNF although he did not mention it (BNF) by name throughout his speech.
Gaolathe said the unmentioned party is also averse to the inclusion of mediators in the cooperation talks adding that there is a party within the UDC that wants to swallow other opposition parties. “We don’t want any opposition party to be sidelined from the cooperation talks. We want trade unions, churches, Non-Governmental Organisations, and other movements to unite and take the nation to the new Botswana. We should not doubt that change is unattainable. Change is within our reach. Let's vote for truthful people to take us to the new Botswana despite our political affiliations,” Gaolathe urged.
