BDP may dump Moswaane
Ryder Gabathuse | Tuesday January 7, 2014 16:45
Members of the regional and branch committees and this year’s general elections candidates, including Moswaane, attended the meeting.
“Balopi and Olopeng came with a proposal that in view of the troubles dogging the party, the party faithful in Francistown-West should support Kago Phofuetsile as the parliamentary candidate,” said an insider who preferred anonymity.
Phofuetsile was registered as an independent candidate by the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) last November.
He had stood and lost in the BDP primaries won by Moswaane. When another loosing candidate, Whyte Marobela opted to challenge the process of primaries in court, Phofuetsile quit the BDP and registered as an independent candidate for the by-elections that were later controversially postponed to this month.
“The party council candidates did not agree with the central committee proposal stating that through that move the BDP will be setting a bad precedent,” said a source, adding that it was only the losers in the party primaries who agreed to the proposal.
The proposal has reportedly been forwarded to the party general membership for consideration, “as it was agreed that the Sunday meeting did not have a mandate to reach any conclusion.”
The main contention, Mmegi newspaper has been told, was that any move to enlist an independent candidate to represent the BDP would be unconstitutional.
It was also argued that it would be against the party’s Bulela Ditswe primary elections rules and regulations and code of conduct.
Although Mmegi is on good authourity that Moswaane attended the last Sunday party meeting, he was cagey when quizzed about the meeting and the decision taken at the same meeting.
“I am not aware of any party decision to remove me as the party candidate in the Francistown-West constituency as there was no resolution passed that I am aware of so far,” said Moswaane yesterday.
He insisted that the BDP and its general membership are protected by the party constitution against decisions that may be deemed adverse to them.
BDP Francistown region chairman, Ford Moiteela preferred the contents of the weekend meeting to be communicated by members of the central committee.
“Well, the Francistown branch and regional committees have resolved that the matter of the party candidate under the current circumstances should come from the constituents and not the regional leadership,” said Moiteela. He insisted that the party general membership would decide the way forward.
“And that will include the issue of the candidate,” said Moiteela. Balopi told Mmegi yesterday that: “As the party, we haven’t taken a position on the issue of the candidate. “What we came to do in Francistown was to consult the regional leadership on the High Court matter that is preventing Moswaane from contesting the by-election.” He added that the Francistown region and branch leadership would be going out to further consult the party general membership.
“The BDP leadership will be coming to Francistown to further consult and I would like to state categorically that BDP has not taken position on the issue of the candidate.
“We will be in Francistown to further demonstrate that the situation now is not what we desire,” he explained. Following a successful court application by Marobela last year, which prevented the ruling party from fielding a candidate in the by-election, the BDP has been fighting incessant court battles to overturn decisions of the High Court with no success.