Boko, Saleshando face off
Chakalisa Dube | Friday January 27, 2023 13:33
The UDC rally is scheduled for tomorrow while the BCP meet will be held on Sunday.
This will be the first major political activity of the year headlined by the two presidents, who lead political movements that have since fallen out of with each other.
A week ago, the BCP announced plans to bolt out of the UDC, an opposition coalition made up of the Botswana People’s Party (BPP) and Botswana National Front (BNF).
The BCP maintains that its differences with its colleagues in the UDC over governance issues cannot be resolved. It is the BCP gathering that will be of interest to many, for a number of reasons.
This will be first time that Saleshando will be addressing the public since the BCP deadline to leave the UDC elapsed last week. In July last year, the BCP indicated that it will quit the UDC after six months on condition that reconciliation efforts with other coalition parties do not bear any fruits.
The BCP is on record stating that reconciliation attempts have proved futile. Last week party spokesperson Professor Mpho Pheko told the media that the official announcement of the BCP’s departure from the UDC is very imminent.
For this reason, it is not far-fetched to assume that Saleshando might use the Sunday rally to announce that the party is officially leaving the UDC. At his best, Saleshando might alternatively use the Sunday opportunity to set the tone for the party’s official announcement in relation to its exit from the coalition. Sources have speculated that if the official announcement on the BCP exit from UDC is not made in Maun, it will inevitably be made after a Central Committee meeting billed for next week Saturday (February 4, 2023).
It is also a given that Saleshando will use the Sunday rally to challenge the UDC over its alleged record of poor governance. He has always maintained that the UDC is run in a manner that infringes on the ideals of democracy. He will also possibly make strong reference to the BCP relationship with the Alliance for Progressives and Botswana Labour Party which is shaping up.
On the flipside, the Maun rally will probably be a very perfect opportunity to highlight that the UDC featuring the BCP can yield good results. Should Boko go that route, his views will undoubtedly be premised on the fact that BNF and BCP councillors have partnered in recent polls to elect council leadership in various areas across the country and the results have been positive.
He might also give an update on the overall status of the UDC and progress towards executing some of the crucial resolutions made at last year’s NEC meeting. Pride will also be at stake in Maun.
Boko has been attracting large crowds at his rallies across the country. He will be hoping that the turnout in Maun turns out to be positive in order to inspire confidence for his troops and drum up support for the UDC from neutrals. On the other hand, Saleshando knows that if the Maun rally flops the development might create insinuations that a BCP that is outside the UDC cannot prosper.
This week Saleshando maintained that members of the public should not read much into his first major political address of the year. “The party has had several rallies in other constituencies in the North West.
The rally will be a continuation our regional collaboration as BCP MPs in the North West,” he said. He was not explicit when asked if he will use his first major rally to brief the nation and party diehards about the future of the BCP in the UDC, given the fact that the party has indicated that it intends to quit the coalition. “I cannot really say that my address will be on the party’s exit from the UDC. There have been concerns as to whether I can deliver on my mandate after my suspensions from the UDC.
I will articulate my current situation in the UDC and what the future holds for me. Of course, I will address other pertinent issues relating to the UDC and that of national interest,” he said in a near vague response. UDC spokesperson, Moeti Mohwasa told Mmegi that he cannot share what the possible theme of Boko’s first major rally of the year.