We can’t compromise to please a few - BCP
Mompati Tlhankane | Monday April 24, 2023 06:00
The BCP which is still a member of opposition coalition Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) started 2024 General Election cooperation talks with AP last year only to be later joined by Botswana National Party (BNF) splinter party BLP.
BCP is unhappy with governance issues at the UDC and decided to carve an alternate path with the AP dubbed New Botswana. Now AP’s withdrawal from the talks has opened old wounds with some reports that the BCP has a big brother mentality and cannot seem to work with anyone.
Contacted for comment, BCP spokesperson Dr Mpho Pheko said the BCP does not have difficulty working with parties that are honest, principled and purposeful and those that are faithful to the principles of good democratic governance. Moreover she said even the current talks are an indication of their posture on working with others.
She however admitted that their soiled relationship with AP was deteriorated by the recent Bosele by-elections which saw the AP pulling out and not supporting both BCP and BLP who were contesting. “We are a very assertive party that negotiates with full knowledge of what we can give or take from our partners. A compromise must be in the interest of both party members and Batswana in general.
Take for example the issue of by elections, which appear to be ‘straw that breaks the camel’s back’ with those we were negotiating with. If by-elections come before we make clear arrangements and understanding as partners, it is common knowledge that the parties involved must use their current strengths in a particular area, regardless of how many times that happens.
If there is a series of by election vacancies on areas not in our favour, looking at past results, we will not bother anyone but support them. For example, we did not compete in the GrooteLaagte by-election,” Pheko said in an interview.
She said the BCP is confident that they went all the way in the current talks to give something that will show when all this become public. Commenting on the AP's withdrawal from the talks and the BCP’s failed relationship with the UDC, and how that creates a narrative that the BCP is a difficult party which cannot work with anyone, Pheko emphasized that records indicate otherwise. She added that there is no other party in Botswana that has had successful working relationships with political parties like the BCP.
“We have a history of working very well with other political parties, for example BAM, BPU, SDP, NDF and MELS. In each case, the relationship evolved beautifully primarily because the partners dialogued in good faith, clear-minded about the purpose of their engagement and undistracted by deceitful side agendas. The BCP compromised immensely to ensure win-win outcomes. For instance, in the case of BAM, they got seats in the executive, including the Vice Presidency and BCP sacrificed its then symbol, the dove, for BAM’s dairy cow. NDF gave us a Secretary General in the name of Phillip Monowe. Our engagements with BPU, SDP and MELS were similarly honest, principled and purposeful,” she highlighted.
She pointed out that the BCP is not at liberty to discuss the AP case but however could confirm that any suggestion that the BCP lacked faith or was unwilling to compromise in its engagement with AP and BLP is false and cannot be borne out by the record. Pheko added that to engaged and discerning people, nothing about the APs withdrawal from the cooperation talks with BCP and BLP, or the failed relationship with UDC suggests BCP cannot work with other parties.
In a previous media conference, the BCP denied that it has a big brother mentality, so AP’s withdrawal from the talks brought back the big brother labeling. “One needs to not pre-empt the AP’s reasons for exiting the negotiation. But, should being assertive in ones’ strengths be regarded as a big brother mentality? Should proposing that each party should be supported where they are strong big brother mentality? In our 25 years or so of existence we have toiled and soiled to build an assertive and resilient organisation. We have an intact popular vote that is consistent throughout the various elections.
Our understanding is that elections are a game of numbers, such that the BCP will never try to harvest where the party did not plant. So if we appear to flaunt some big brother mentality, should we accuse the other side of suffering from inferiority complex or ‘small man syndrome’? No we should not because doing that will be negotiating in bad faith and disrespectful to collaboration attempts. We are confident of the organisation we have built, we know our story, we know what is good for Batswana and we will continue calling for a better Botswana, because it is possible. Ours is not a '2 minutes’ noodle cooking, and no scarecrow labelling will deter our determination,” Pheko further highlighted. BCP under the UDC ticket delivered a notable performance in the 2019 general election by winning 11 parliamentary seats.
The party has since expelled four of their legislators. Now some critics say the BCP is taking steps back to 2014 when they performed badly after pulling out from coalition talks before the general election of that year. Asked if they are going to go at it alone again like in 2014, Pheko clarified that The BCP certainly prefers to contest the 2024 election in cooperation with other parties but not under the UDC in its current form. She said a party that tramples on its constitution, democracy and governance in general is not only unfit to govern; such a party is dangerous.
“To help such a party to power is unpatriotic in the extreme. We are not going to sell our souls for seats in a government led by such a party. We will provide a responsible, democratic and accountable alternative,” she said. With the UDC clearly not an option for the BCP, Pheko indicated that the BLP has not abandoned the talks and there is still hope that the AP may come back.
Pheko indicated that if it happens that we go alone, it is up to Batswana to decide if what we offer make sense or not. “We are in this for a long haul and no short-term pleasantries will change our values of good governance, accountability and general democratic principles”.