What an opportunity to reverse all these wrongs should the opposition seize upon the cooperation project? Many had been sickened to the bone by the BNF "we cannot afford to regionalize the BNF's whilst unashamedly urging other parties to obliterate themselves from the Botswana landscape by affiliating to it - a move even the most docile child at "mmantlwane" would contemptuously reject.
Many were perturbed by the fact that having almost agreed on a single PACT model except for the Botswana Alliance Movement on the 6th of July 2006, the leadership of the Botswana National Front decided through its leader Otsweletse Moupo and the likes of Elmon Tafa a.k.a comrade More with the connivance of Akanyang Magama and a coterie of like minded to incite their members in preparation of its Lobatse Congress to adopt the untenable alliance model. Any party opposed to it was viciously subjected to verbal abuse.
Those who remember the 1994 Rwanda genocide would vouch that when a government through both radio and television incite its own people to kill some of its people the results can be ghastly to contemplate. Having incited their own members to believe and behave like the Hutus against the Tutsis, how possible is it for the Hutus to accept Tutsis as human themselves? During university days of learning isms, students may be forgiven for behaving in that manner. As adults, the nation expects all pretenders to the throne to behave as a government in waiting. The Botswana National Front leadership through Otsweletse Moupo, Elmon Tafa and their newly acquired political assassin Mokgweetsi Kgosipula went on a rampage denigrating other parties arguing that it was a mistake for the BNF to have agreed to enter into talks with smaller parties on equal footing.
The question that one may ask is, have comrades change of heart? Some suspect that one or two issues confronting the BNF at the moment have compelled them to adopt a temporary ceasefire. They argue that they have seen this before. The one apparent issue is the impending council by-election in the Gaborone South constituency which the BNF is defending following the sudden death of one of its councillors. Contextually, the 2004 election results are not impressive. Many will remember that Mokgweetsi Kgosipula and his two comrades defected to the BNF before the Gaborone West North by-election. The BNF stalled his "gala dinner" until after its leader had retained the constituency. Those who questioned Kgosipula's out-of-character utterances were told point blank by its Secretary General that the BNF had not joined any other party. Apart from the by-elections, the BNF disciplined all its cadres who held joint rallies with its negotiating partners. MP Molefhabangwe is a living example. So any continued hostilities or "it is a fact that we have 109 councilors and 12 members of Parliament" would be too costly this time around should the NDF/BCP decide to behave likewise and have a go at the seat.
The other and more precarious issue confronting it is its leadership debacle. Things have never been so bad for the BNF since the days of the founding One person was forced to remark that the BNF could do as it pleased several years ago but this time around one of its own children has grown to become so serious a competitor that they are forcing their father to carefully craft his manoeuvers.
Once its schemes are exposed, it coils temporarily. Why would a party negotiating with others suddenly turn around and say: "Affiliate to me and sell my programmes throughout Botswana because I don't want to be regionalized?" BAM/BCP/BPP also asked: "Who wants to?" If indeed the BNF has changed heart, then all the negotiating partners should move at lightening speed and sign the Tlokweng Charter which it avoided at all costs. Now that one impediment is enjoying a six weeks leave, the current BNF leadership should do the needful and commit itself through the Charter.
The parties should not stop there. All the negotiating partners must agree to hold joint activities as soon as it is extremely possible as a voter confidence building measure and not to wobble until January 2009. This would give parties enough time to spot those opposed to the project and choose whether to name and shame them.
After all the BDP has had its own in-fighting before and right through the 2004 elections and remained a single block enough to beat the hell out of a divided opposition. There is still time to frighten the fragile BDP into disarray as its foundation is built on sandy ground. We all know that it is "namolo leuba" which keeps them winning the elections. If we snatch all up coming by-elections, the BDP would collapse before Ian Khama ascends to the throne. United we stand divided we fall.
Morgan Moseki
