BCP vacates UDC next week
Mompati Tlhankane | Monday January 16, 2023 06:00
In an interview with Mmegi this week, the BCP spokesperson Dr Mpho Pheko said it is safe to declare that the BCP's formal departure from UDC is about to happen.
She revealed that they are leaving the UDC because the governance and constitutional grievances that led to the suspension of the BCP from the UDC have not been addressed even up to now.
Pheko said the BCP holds principles of good governance and constitutionalism in high regard and does not believe that governance issues are subservient to other issues that bedevil the nation. “Our well considered position is that insisting on the practice and observance of established principles of good governance and constitutionalism, and prosecuting the struggle for the creation of job opportunities and other services essential for the decent upkeep of our nation, are not mutually exclusive undertakings.
All of them can be pursued and practiced at the same time. Indeed the absence of one waters down the enjoyment of the other,” she highlighted. Asked if they have sat down with the BCP to address the latter’s concerns in the past six months, the UDC spokesperson Moeti Mohwasa on the contrary said the issues that the BCP raised are being addressed and that started before the party suspended itself from the UDC.
Commenting on the BCP's impending exit ahead of the deadline next week Mohwasa said: “They said they will leave after six months and I therefore believe you should raise the matter with them”. As the six months deadline approaches, there has been a debate about the BCP’s exit and whether it will prompt by-elections. However, Pheko begged to differ and said: “No by-elections will be necessitated by the exit of the BCP from the UDC. There is no law in Botswana that makes such a provision and given that we have no reason to insist that our MPs and councilors write to Parliament or their council chambers disassociating themselves from the party under whose colours they acquired their status, the need for by-elections does not arise”. Pheko also indicated that all the contracting parties were always aware that the agreement between the three parties (BCP, BNF and BPP) was towards the 2019 election. She said all parties knew and expected fresh negotiations for the 2024 General Election. “It must be recalled that the BCP is currently in cooperation talks with AP and BLP. The partnership and negotiations evolved from a resolution of the meeting of all opposition Party Presidents where all political parties represented at that meeting agreed to submit their position paper on Cooperation towards the 2024 election. Post this agreement, only the AP and BCP submitted position papers,” she said. Pheko further said many nations have descended into chaos because of the flagrant disregard of principles of good governance and respect for constitutional precepts, Zimbabwe being a case in point. She said they will never allow Botswana to degenerate into similar chaos, not under their watch. She pointed out that an opposition party that rejects good governance and sound leadership practices should be rejected by Batswana voters. Speaking of voters, this year is primary election season and as the BCP prepares to exit the UDC and formalise their union with the AP, Pheko said outcomes of their cooperation talks with the AP will inform their approach to primary elections where necessary.
“Our cooperation talks with AP and BLP are ongoing. Details of what has been agreed upon will be shared with the media and the wider public in due course”, she stated. As they forge another partnership with their ‘like-minded’ ally in the AP, the BCP leaves the UDC having lost some of their MPs through the Mahalapye expulsion last year. On top of the six months ultimatum, at its National Annual Conference the BCP also took a decision to expel five defiant Members of Parliament (MPs) who were part of the UDC caucus that toppled the former Leader of Opposition (LoO) Dumelang Saleshando and replaced him with the Selebi-Phikwe West legislator, Dithapelo Keorapetse.
The members are Keorapetse, Onneetse Ramogapi, Never Tshabang, David Tshere and Kenny Kapinga who has since been readmitted to the BCP. Asked if the BCP has made efforts to reconcile with any of the MPs, Pheko said the fact that the decision to expel the legislators were taken by the BCP’s highest decision-making body (the Conference), it is entirely upon the local structures and any willing BCP member to try to entice the expelled MPs back into the party fold. “Should the reconciliation efforts bear any fruit, we will share the development with the media. Should anyone of the MPs express the desire to come back to the party, such a step will be accommodated and addressed accordingly,” she further emphasised.
In terms of having the expelled MPs replaced, Pheko said in keeping with their well known practice of letting democracy reign, they have left it to their local structures and indeed the entire membership to identify, woo and support possible replacements through primary elections should that be necessary. Before the self-inflicted split of the UDC, the united voice of opposition through robust debate in Parliament, meant the coalition legislators had a stronger voice than now.