Tonota Domkrag prays pardon for Moatlhodi

PATRICIA MAGANU
Staff Writer | Thursday November 20, 2008 00:00

 

Scores of residents thronged the Panorama Hall in the village to support Moatlhodi who has been denied the opportunity to run for parliament for what the BDP Central Committee describes as 'indiscipline'.

The BDP team consisting of party chairman, Daniel Kwelagobe, secretary General, Jacob Nkate, chairman of the appeals board, Isaac Seloko, and BDP executive secretary, Batlang Serema descended on Tonota yesterday to deliver the news that he will no longer be the party candidate in next year's general elections.

Throngs of supporters who listened to the CC decision did not waste time in indicating their scorn for the decision that the leadership took citing it as 'harsh'.

His followers were pacing outside the hall like hungry lions before the arrival of the party officials, swearing that they would give them a piece of their mind after delivering the bad news.

When the members of the Central Committee were introduced in the hall, BDP supporters did not cheer as they did when Moatlhodi arrived.

BDP activist, Cornelius Seitshiro, highly vocal right from the beginning of the meeting, said that all the stories that the party leaders had heard about Moatlhodi were cooked.

'As a resident of Tonota, I should know better,' announced Seitshiro. 'You do not know anything. We know better. When the vetting was done and the MP was vetted out the branch committee was not even complete,' he said.

He blamed the branch committee for corruption saying they have gone out of their way to 'ruin' Moatlhodi.

Seitshiro said when Moatlhodi spoke in Parliament he was posing a question to the Minister and the intention was not to offend anyone.

The general feeling was that the Central Committee should forgive Moatlhodi and let him run in the next general elections. Some people threatened not to vote if Moatlhodi is not the candidate.

Most residents said they believed that Moatlhodi had done nothing wrong. They would rather he be forgiven and allowed to run for the general elections.

Residents also complained about lack of consultation by the Central Committee. The committee came to Tonota with a final decision and that is wrong. When contacted after the meeting, Nkate said that he would report to party president, Ian Khama immediately and he was not in a position to predict the outcome.

'I cannot say what the position of the party is yet because it will be decided by the Central Committee,' he said yesterday.

He further said that after giving the report to the President it will be decided whether the central committee will meet on this issue again or not.

However, after the heated meeting, Moatlhodi said that he was hopeful that the party authorities will reinstate him.

'They have heard what the people have said, and I hope they will take their comments to heart,' he said. He pointed out that if Tsholetsa stuck by its decision to prevent him from standing, he would consult the constituency, which would decide whether he should stand as an independent.

'I am hopeful that it will not come to that,' he prayed.

Moatlhodi wept before the meeting saying that since the threat to his political career was mounted it has affected his family and the constituency.

'I lost control and wept when my uncle who used to be a member of the BNF, but is now a priest with the Roman Catholic Church, was kicked out of the meeting. I could not contain myself,' he said.