Clock ticks for BCP, UDC reconciliation
Chakalisa Dube | Monday November 21, 2022 06:00
In July this year, one of the key BCP conference resolutions was that the party should remain part of the UDC for the next six months. The decision was taken to allow the BCP to explore a possibility of smoking the peace pipe with its UDC partners.
The six-month deadline will elapse in the second week of January next year. However, based on the posture of the BCP and UDC, it seems that the disharmony between the two parties will not subside anytime soon.
The two parties have continued heckling each other even after the BCP expressed desire for ceasefire and push for reconciliation.
This week, BCP spokesperson, Mpho Pheko appeared to suggest that there has been no effort by both parties to push for reconciliation.
From Pheko’s statements it was also easy to draw an inference that the reconciliation between the two parties is not something that can be explored soon.
According to her, failure to push for a compromise and ceasefire should largely be attributed to lack of sincerity on the part of the UDC.
“Reconciliation is a two-way street, such that both parties must work towards reducing hostility between themselves and working in a civil manner with or without each other.
It is important to highlight that while the UDC had initially claimed that only the president of the BCP and the secretary-general are serving suspension, the party has not been invited to any one of the National Executive Committee Meetings (NEC) meetings since the suspensions,” she said.
The UDC had previously said that other BCP members will not be invited to the coalition NEC meetings. The position of the UDC was that the BCP had said that it will cease its participation in activities of the coalition until the suspension of the president and secretary of the party are lifted.
Pheko explained that the ultimatum by the UDC calling the Councillors and Members of Parliament (MPs) who are card carrying members of the BCP to write by September 26, 2022 to confirm their desires to represent the UDC in 2024 General Election, highlighted that the UDC was not keen for reconciliation. In the same communication, the MPs and Councillors were promised that they will not go through primary elections.
“We perceived this as ill-thought attempts to divide the BCP. You will also note one much publicised invite to the Botswana National Front Women’s League (BNFWL) to the Botswana Congress Party Women's League (BCPWL) conference. The response from the BNFWL was rather unexpected and unfortunate, further complicating the relationship between the two parties.”
Pheko declined to comment on the probability of the BCP remaining in the UDC after the six months timeline, given the failure by both parties to push for reconciliation. She pointed out that the BCP would wait until the end of the six months to comment substantially. She, however, offered a strong hint that the BCP will inevitably exit the coalition.
“We are currently working on solidifying our friendship with other like-minded parties and partly account to them as much as we account to our membership. From our end, we would prefer to concentrate on our party and the relationship we are building with like-minded political parties,” she pointed out.
The BCP is currently working on solidifying its relationship with the Alliance for Progressives (AP) and Botswana Labour Party (BLP) ahead of the 2024 General Election.
The BCP spokesperson shot down suspicions that the decision to remain in the UDC for six months was taken with an ill motive of causing confusion in the coalition and ultimately leaving it as a weaker or soiled entity. She emphasised that the BCP will be keen to remain in the UDC on the condition that governance challenges are thoroughly dealt with.
UDC spokesperson, Moeti Mohwasa previously told Mmegi that the BCP's actions especially opening talks with the AP) show that it is not fully committed to what the UDC stands for. After a UDC NEC meeting in Francistown recently, Mohwasa pointed out that the BCP’s decision to take the UDC to court over the suspension of the president and secretary-general shows lack of earnestness to push for reconciliation.