UDC peace deal: Real or cosmetic?
Goitsemodimo Kaelo | Monday July 26, 2021 06:00
For the first time, its leaders, president Duma Boko and his vice Dumelang Saleshando showed that they were not in good terms as they engaged in a blame game in the midst of incessant exchanges of words among members of the affiliates, Botswana National Front (BNF) and Botswana Congress Party (BCP). The coalition partners include the Botswana Peoples Party (BPP).
For a long time post the 2019 general election, the two parties’ members, unlike their leaders, have not hidden the fact that there is no peace in the UDC.
Some elements within the BNF trading under the guise of the tagline, FearFokol who like their name have no fear to spew out dirt about their counterparts on social media, have caused the most damage. On the other hand, the BCP’s defence team has also not shied away from stating its case, indicating lack of inner democracy within the coalition.
BCP leader Saleshando eventually also came out and laid bare the problems within the UDC prior to the Palapye meeting during a media briefing at Avani Hotel in Gaborone. He pointed an accusing finger at the BNF for letting its ‘big brother’ mentality get in the way of progress of unity within the UDC. Following his comments, fireworks were expected at the Palapye meet, although they never took place.
However, after the Palapye meet, Boko and Saleshando held a joint press briefing for the first time, where they unbelievably told members of the media that they have now buried the hatchet and smoked the peace pipe. But how the one-day Palapye meeting would have magically united and brought peace to the UDC remains the big question to many. Peace has been elusive within the coalition partners and even more pronounced in the rank and file as the partners have been trading barbed wires for the longest period.
There are many issues which have become hot potatoes within the coalition and remain unresolved. Chief among them being the issue of the elective congress. There has always been discontent and suspicion of a thing or two within the UDC.
On paper, they may have reached common ground on the way forward towards attaining peace, but are they really ready to tow the line and abide by their ‘house-keeping rules’ they have set themselves?
Political commentator Adam Mfundisi said although the Palapye NEC meeting laid a peace building foundation within, which all efforts must be focused on, there is need to understand that peace building is not an event but a process.
In an interview with Mmegi, the University of Botswana lecturer in politics and administrative studies said UDC problems and challenges cannot be resolved through a single intervention. He categorically stated that the lack of peace within the UDC is not just a phenomenon to it, as any coalition formation is beset with problems and challenges.
“It is a global experience where you bring parties from different ideological formations together to increase power and stretch resources. There is no single factor that causes tensions and acrimonies with the UDC,” said Mfundisi.
He noted that the factors are interrelated, interdependent and interconnected and therefore, need a multifaceted problem-solving strategy.
Mfundisi explained that coalitions are entered into between political parties with the primary objective of gaining political power than the individual entities can hope to attain on their own, but often times, decision making authority seems to be a major problem.
He said there seems to be issues arising from understanding of how decisions in the UDC are made and the control of resources. According to him, structures of the UDC are seemingly weak and therefore, cannot mediate policy differences from within while the role of the UDC NEC and its interface with political parties seems not to be understood and adhered to by party members.
“This in effect leads to indiscipline within the UDC and in political parties forming the UDC. Weak links within the coalition is another factor leading to perennial conflicts within the UDC. Poor communication on the focus, objectives and limits within the UDC formation can explain some of the problems bedeviling the umbrella,” he added.
Mfundisi also said the UDC leadership without exceptions, has contributed directly and indirectly to the instabilities occurring in the formation as they have not developed effective internal and external communication channels to share information vital to the success of the coalition.
He said the decision making meetings have not been organised frequently to deal with critical issues since the end of the 2019 controversial general election. He also pointed out at the lack of trust and confidence within the UDC, which he said was partly due to the results that saw BCP’s sterling performance and BNF’s dismal one.
“Political leaders across the UDC must maintain free flow of information to allay fears and apprehensions within the UDC. There should be more meetings virtually and in-person to discuss policy issues and deal with any challenges that may arise within the UDC.
Lack of dispute resolution mechanisms fuel the problems and challenges faced by the UDC formation. UDC must develop an effective problem-solving strategy to deal with potential and perceived problems. Trust and confidence deficiencies do cause problems and challenges within the UDC,” he said.
According to the UB academic, a blame game ensued within the UDC leading to acrimonious relationships between the top brass and percolating to the rank-and-file membership of the UDC. He explained that the UDC needs to develop confidence building mechanisms to buttress continued collaboration and achieve the desirable electoral outcomes.
Mfundisi called for long-term policy initiatives to build the UDC into a national coalition of opposition political parties determined to win the 2024 polls. He said there is need to strengthen trust and cooperation between partners.
He said the UDC must further enact principles, values, and priorities of the coalition to guide it in dealing with problems and challenges that may arise while doing business and developing a comprehensive strategy to broaden the participation of all partners in the UDC. Moreover, he called on the UDC leadership to introspect and develop a vision and strategies to resolve its internal conflicts and chart the way forward towards the 2024 general election in the midst of COVID-19 pandemic.
UDC spokesperson Moeti Mohwasa believes the UDC is currently, “in a good space” following the Palapye NEC meeting.
When it was brought to his attention if peace would be really attainable in the UDC looking at what has always transpired in the past despite the agreements by the leaders, Mohwasa warned us against sounding like prophets of doom.
He said the UDC was happy with the outcome of the Palapye meeting as it achieved that which it set out to achieve.
“We are happy within the UDC. What makes you think we will not ultimately attain peace? The meeting achieved exactly what it set out to achieve at the end of the day,” Mohwasa responded in a brief telephone interview.
Contrary to what Mohwasa said, history tells a different narrative, only time will tell whether the UDC will indeed finally have peace. The planned leaders’ retreat is also simply an admission that there are problems within the UDC post the Palapye meeting which might see the coalition partners attaining the elusive peace.
For some time, opposition tri-party coalition, the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) has been a house on fire, as its affiliates traded all sorts of hate words. However, after its Palapye national executive committee (NEC) meeting a fortnight ago, the leaders came out abruptly preaching peace. Mmegi Correspondent GOITSEMODIMO KAELO wonders whether the one-day UDC peace mission is indeed a reality or just mere cosmetic