Primaries: BCP’s selling point
Mompati Tlhankane | Monday August 14, 2023 06:00
The BCP, which contested under the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) in the 2019 General Election, says it is a beacon of democracy compared to other political parties which seem to ignore respecting the process of internal democracy through holding primary elections.
A UDC affiliate, the Botswana National Front (BNF) last month after its annual conference in Shoshong made a resolution that there will be no primary elections.
It also resolved that the party will instead pursue the consensus candidates approach for wards and constituencies. Even though the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) has denied allegations that the party will ditch the Bulela Ditswe system in favour of a consensus candidates model, there are reports that incumbent legislators and councillors do not want Bulela Ditswe.
Therefore, with all the Bulela Ditswe confusion at the BDP and absence of open primaries at the BNF and UDC, the BCP is confident that it has a competitive advantage. Briefing the media this week following its July conference in Tutume, the BCP president Dumelang Saleshando said they have got a unique selling point of a stable party which does not select candidates by a consensus. “Our general theme at the congress was Save Botswana, so by even announcing primaries it is about saving the culture of internal democracy in Botswana.
There was one time when there was one party in Botswana known for primary elections. Some had a committee of 18 which selected candidates. Now, we are in a phase where in Botswana the key political parties believe the culture of primary elections is not necessary. Democracy is under threat. By starting the primary elections as the BCP, we are becoming an ambassador for democracy,” the Maun West MP highlighted. Saleshando, who believes they saved the UDC in 2019, was quick to reveal that the BCP is starting preparations for the 2024 General Election by releasing the writ of elections this week so that interested candidates could come forward.
“Democracy doesn’t just come on election day but it is also a culture that we are trying to inculcate amongst our members. We are going to build a culture of good governance because it talks to accountability, checks and balances,” he pointed out. For his part, the BCP secretary-general (SG) Goretetse Kekgonegile also highlighted that the difference between the BCP and other parties is that such parties think democracy can be discussed and compromised. “The BCP doesn’t believe in that. Yes, it is always wise to have a consensus candidate within wards and constituencies but that must not compromise existing democratic principles in our party,” he added.
Kekgonegile also said their target is to hold primary elections this year on September 23-24. He indicated that when it comes to primary elections, there are a number of steps that should be taken such as appointing constituency election committees. He said next week they will appoint counselling teams because internal elections come with conflicts and as the BCP they aim to deter those quarrels. “The aim is not to compete but to have one candidate who will represent us. We will also release the writ of elections and it compels us to hold primary elections within two months. That means the nomination for people who will be interested in standing for elections should have come forward by August 31. On September 9 the central committee will take a decision on the candidates,” he further disclosed. The Maun East legislator, however, said it is not cast in stone therefore some dates are subject to change. Moreover, the BCP has since indicated that an affirmative action was taken so that women, the youth and people living with disability could pay 50% of the fee required for one to stand for elections. Candidates in remote areas will also pay the 50%. In the past, the absence of intra-party democracy contributed to political parties becoming closed dictatorial structures.
This is known to have negatively impacted the constitutional rights of citizens to equal political opportunity to participate in politics and contest elections. Primary elections done fairly has allowed less factionalism and division of parties. With primaries, candidate selection is not based on the whims of a few leaders in the party but rather it represents the choice of the party at large. Elections at each level allow creation of power centres at different levels and allow decentralisation of power.
The BCP among their reasons for leaving the UDC project is that there is no democracy and that the leader of the coalition Duma Boko who also doubles as the BNF president had transformed the UDC into his personalised property. They feel that there is poor governance and no internal democracy within the coalition and that the BNF has been made to become a natural leader of the UDC. With Boko having been at the helm of the coalition for 11 years without the coalition ever holding an elective congress, not even once, the BCP felt Boko had led for too long and therefore, tends to be authoritarian. Last year at the height of the UDC fallout with the BCP, Boko gave the latter’s councillors and legislators a deadline to make known their stance. Boko said they should write to the UDC and indicate whether or not they will contest the 2024 election under the UDC. Boko promised that MPs and councillors will not go through primary elections once they have indicated their loyalty. The BCP has since lost 19 councillors to the UDC as a result. The councillors will not go through the primaries and are therefore automatic candidates for the UDC in 2024, same as the MPs. After the ultimatum, the BCP indicated that what Boko was doing was a total disregard for its members' democratic rights.
The BCP indicated then that it was shocked that the UDC dares to dictate to its member parties not to hold primary elections to select candidates in the constituencies they manage. “We reject these undemocratic tendencies with the utmost contempt and urge our members who hold elective office to do the same. It is unfortunate that the UDC is mimicking the BDP, which is also considering banning primary elections. The BCP values internal democracy and will not go the UDC-BDP route of stifling democracy,” the BCP highlighted in a statement. In defending their decision of not holding primary elections, the UDC spokesperson Moeti Mohwasa previously told this publication that the coalition is not undemocratic by sticking to the decision. “You should appreciate that as it has always happened in the past; we have always had consensus candidates.
This happens in all the political formations. It is not new. Democracy in itself exists in a context and circumstances will always guide us in terms of how we deal with different situations as they arise. We are always conscious of the broader interests of the movement,” said Mohwasa. Shedding more light on primary elections in the coalition, Mohwasa said the UDC does not in itself hold primary elections but it is the affiliates themselves who pick candidates in areas which have been allocated to them on behalf of the UDC.
The BDP on the other side is expected to determine the Bulela Ditswe fate at the party’s national council (NC) and special national congress (SNC) next month. “One of the cornerstones of democracy that the BDP cherishes is that every bonafide member of the party should be given a fair chance to stand for elections wherever they want. In addition to that, the BDP gives all its registered members the opportunity to choose their preferred aspiring office bearers an equal chance of doing that without favouring some over others. If party members at ward or constituency level want to forgo primary elections, then the party leadership will not stand in their way,” BDP secretary-general, Kavis Kario said in an interview with this publication recently.