BDP labels opposition 'cry babies' over petition plan
Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Tuesday February 27, 2024 06:00
The country’s opposition parties have written a statement to petition the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) and President Mokgweetsi Masisi over benchmarking the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC).
They accuse the President of having taken IEC there to learn how to rig elections. Kentse believes that the IEC has adequately explained the benchmarking process with ZEC and opposition parties are simply looking for excuses because they are not ready for the upcoming elections.
According to Kentse, the opposition parties are complaining about the IEC and the benchmarking process purely for political gain and to remain relevant. "The IEC has been transparent about the benchmarking process and it is a more efficient method than the one used currently in the country.
The opposition is simply trying to create controversy and cause problems rather than offering any constructive solutions. The opposition has no intention to campaign and win the 2024 elections," he said. He added that all they want is to tarnish elections by all means possible.
Furthermore, he said when they approached the courts about the registration observers, they knew that the case had no chance of success but they still went ahead anyway because the plan had always been to instigate the people to revolt. The BDP spokesperson added they are not surprised by their intentions to petition the President and IEC; it is all part of their plan. "They want to plant a very dangerous seed in the minds and hearts of Batswana, but we urge Batswana to reject them and protect this democracy that we have kept clean for many generations.
Boko and Co must work hard to convince Batswana to elect them and stop selling the rigging rhetoric," he said. Moreover, he said that they are already planning post-election demonstrations and violence because they have nothing to sell to Batswana and they know that Batswana still have trust in the BDP. He said they must be shunned and rejected through a vote. Meanwhile, in their statement, the opposition parties said they have noted with absolute shock and disgust the recent secret trip undertaken by the IEC to Zimbabwe to ostensibly benchmark that country's election management system.
"Even more shocking has been IEC's scandalous attempts to downplay the severity of their mischievous actions by asserting that the trip was merely limited to benchmarking on The Observer Accreditation Process." It is widely acknowledged that Zimbabwe's recent elections were so riddled with irregularities that the international community, including the SADC observation mission on which Botswana was represented, reached a unanimous conclusion that they failed to meet the standard of a 'Free and Fair Election' by seven secretaries-general of opposition parties.
Those opposition parties include Botswana National Front (BNF), Botswana People’s Party (BPP), Botswana Labour Party (BLP), Botswana Congress Party (BCP), Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF), Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD), and Botswana Republican Party (BRP). Still, in their statement, they said they intend to issue a petition to Masisi and the IEC demanding the immediate resignation of members of the IEC since they have slept on the job, resulting in the commission committing unpardonable acts of gross mismanagement, if not outright criminal offences.
They said the people of Botswana have lost confidence in the ability of the said IEC to conduct free and fair elections in this country. However, they revealed that such a petition shall be delivered amidst a country-wide peaceful protest march. With that regard, they said opposition parties intend to leave no stone unturned in the fight for the rights of Batswana. BNF secretary-general, Ketlhalefile Motshegwa told The Monitor on Saturday the opposition parties' secretaries-general will meet on Wednesday to finalise dates when they intend to submit the petition.