BNF gesture is a publicity stunt-BCP
Lebogang Mosikare | Monday January 16, 2023 06:00
The release entitled “Election of District Leadership” reads: “There has been establishment of new districts and this has necessitated for election of council chairman and deputy council chairman.
The specific guidance and instruction to all BNF councillors is that in this process they should work with other opposition parties and should not anyhow work with the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) because our resolve and determination is to unseat the BDP from government and leadership of councils to bring a new government that will address the plight of Batswana for prosperity for all as outlined in the UDC manifesto.
It must be clear that there is no room for defiance of this party position.” The gesture of the BNF press release can be interpreted in many ways. One of the ways in which the BNF gesture can be interpreted is that the party is cognisant of the fact that opposition parties will never topple the BDP from all levels of power if they are fragmented as they currently are.
The above view has long been held by local political analysts and members of the public. In spite of the above fact, which is supported by empirical evidence, issues of mistrust especially between the BNF and BCP within the UDC still exist.
Among other opinions, some observers are of the view that the conflict between the BNF and the BCP is caused by the battle for the presidency of the UDC between Duma Boko, the president of the BNF and Dumelang Saleshando, the president of the BCP and governance issues within the UDC. In fact, the deepening political crises besieging the two affiliates of the UDC, BNF and BCP, that has plagued the UDC for the past few years, show that there is still no love lost between the BNF and the BCP. The spokesperson of the BCP, Dr Mpho Pheko, insists that the Boko-led UDC is still falling short of the values and principles of good governance.
Pheko also said the BCP is and will not read too much from the recent BNF spinning. She said the press release was for all intents and purposes designed to muddy the waters in a bid to give the BNF some political clout before the public. The BNF press release, Pheko added, clearly shows that there are different parties (BNF, BCP, Botswana Peoples Party (BPP) and the Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF) that make up the UDC.
“The BNF press release buttresses our long held point that the UDC is made up of various parties. The UDC has been denying this point but their press release has vindicated us. For the BCP to work again with the UDC after the January 19 deadline, the words of the BNF should match their actions but that is not the case right now. They say one thing but do the opposite hence we still reiterate that the public pronouncement of the BNF is just a publicity stunt. The central committee of the BCP will have a meeting after January 19 to chart the way forward regarding working with the UDC again,” Pheko stated.
“The BCP is not reading much from the recent press release of the BNF. During our conference in Mahalapye last year, our members gave the party leadership the mandate to give the UDC a six-month ultimatum to, among others, address issues of good governance within the UDC before the BCP can work with the UDC again. However, issues of good governance within the UDC have not been addressed till today.
The deadline that the delegates gave the BCP leadership in Mahalapye to consider if it (BCP) remains or leaves the UDC is expiring on January 19 but the UDC has not put its house in order,” said Pheko.
Pheko continued: “On top of that, our president Saleshando and secretary-general Goretetse Kekgonegile have been indefinitely suspended by the UDC. This clearly shows that the recent BNF press release was not written in good faith but is just a publicity stunt.
The UDC should lift the suspensions of Saleshando and Kekgonegile if it sincerely wants to work with the BCP.” Following the suspensions of Saleshando and Kekgonegile from the UDC last year, the UDC took a decision to indefinitely extend the suspensions of the duo after they filed an application in court challenging their suspensions. Among other reasons, the two wanted their suspensions to be declared unlawful, wrongful, unreasonable, improper and invalid in so far as they are not members of the UDC.