Palapye hoodoo haunts BDP
Ryder Gabathuse | Friday September 1, 2023 10:04
And across the political divide, Palapye has a sad history associated with the major break up of the Botswana National Front (BNF) that birthed the Botswana Congress Party (BCP) in 1998 just ahead of the 1999 General Election. Just recently, history repeated itself in Palapye when the BCP, then a committed affiliate of the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) meeting culminated with the BCP opting out of the coalition arrangement citing governance issues.
For the BDP, it was the year 2001, and there was emerging pressure for a lobby for former president Ian Khama to challenge the then party strongman and Barata-Phathi faction leader, Ponatshego Kedikilwe for the position of the party Chairman. Khama was then still considered a fresher and a newbie to challenge Kedikilwe, popularly known as PHK. There was tension throughout the national congress, which sparked controversy and threatened to shake the BDP as an entity at the time with Khama’s supporters pushing for their choice. Will the Palapye BDP hoodoo repeat itself as a manageable issue sets the BDP asunder ahead of next year’s polls?
Now, fresh tension is building as the BDP goes to Palapye with one main agenda item in particular causing a stir. The BDP is already a house divided over the continuation or discontinuation of Bulela-Ditswe as a model of selecting candidates for the 2024 General Election.
Whilst the proponents of Bulela-Ditswe find it more democratic as it is, its critics feel it has caused more damage than they could bear anymore since the open season primaries were effected in 2003. The Palapye event is set to find a solution to the trouble be-devilling the party. Party regions are ready to debate the matter and it will not be easy for the party to appease both sides of the issue at the end of the day.
This event will provide a sterner test to the wisdom of President Mokgweetsi Masisi and his deputy Slumber Tsogwane who is also the party Chairman.
Masisi is a great orator who has the wherewithal to charm his party members into submission as these are challenging times and no one can leave an explosive issue of this magnitude to drag on. The BDP will be challenged to leave no stone unturned to deal with the matter.
As matter stand, BDP secretary general Kavis Kario has said in another interview, it would be up to the congress to agree on whether to suspend Bulela Ditswe or not.
Kario said it would be shocking for the party to take a resolution to suspend Bulela Ditswe when it has been practising it for 20 years.
He stressed that Bulela Ditswe enhances inner party democracy by allowing party members to choose a person they believe could be the party.
Kario also said Bulela Ditswe has an appeals committee to deal with issues raised by those who feel strongly aggrieved by the process during elections.