Francistown West jinx hits BCP

Edward Mpoloka | Friday March 7, 2014 17:06

 

The Francistown West constituency became the epicentre of disputatious primary elections especially by the BDP in 2004, 2009 and 2013. In what could reverse the fortunes of the BCP which recently benefited from the BDP instability resulting from a primary elections’ process, the party has become embroiled in a potentially debilitating quarrel over whether primary elections for the general elections should be held or not.

The director of elections in the BCP, Stephen Makhura, was quoted recently saying that the holding of primary elections in the constituency initially scheduled for March 8, were a subject of debate by the party central committee.

“The central committee will decide whether primary elections should be held or not,” he said.

Last month, the secretary general of the BCP, Kesitegile Gobotswang said that the fact that there would be primary elections is a given. What was at issue, he said then, was the timing of the primaries because the winner of the by-election primaries, Dr Habaudi Hubona, who went on to win the by-election in which the BDP candidate had been disqualified due to a party primary elections dispute, was staying in Gaborone to attend Parliament until April. It was felt therefore that the March 8 date for primary elections would disadvantage her.

In an interview recently, Gobotswang indicated that, instead of the primaries, there would be a central committee meeting.

“Indeed there will be a central committee meeting on Saturday because we need to reflect on our next move.

The party leadership will have two options at the meeting. The first one is to treat the winner of the by-election as candidate for the general elections too and cancel the primary elections and support Hubona to represent the party in the October elections.

The second option is to uphold the original resolution and hold the primary elections specifically for the general elections.  In the latter case, a date would have to be set and announced while all the necessary logistics are put in place,” he said.

Not everybody is impressed by the uncertainty.

“Democracy calls for elections and the people want nothing else but elections.

There was never going to be fairness because Hubona is a member of the same central committee, which will be deliberating on the issue on Saturday. If we preach democracy, we should be seen to practice it,” says a self-professed and irate Professor Tlou supporter who however could speak only on condition of anonymity because of the indiscretion to speak without authority.

Yet another BCP member speaking on the same condition said that, should the BCP leadership seek to impose compromise on the party rank and file regarding Francistown west, it would lose the moral high ground on which to criticise the ruling party for undemocratic practices.

Tlou said that he was confident that the BCP central committee would never do anything that would compromise democracy. “I will, however cross that river when I come to it,’’ he said.

An attempt to speak to Baatlhodi Monyatsi proved futile as his phone rang unanswered.

For her part, Hubona is not bothered by what the central committee is likely to decide.

“Unlike your informant, I trust the capacity and impartiality of the BCP central committee,” said Hubona insisting that anybody who feared that she would be favoured because she is a member of the central committee cannot be BCP.

“This party is not about me. I am not the first member of the central committee to stand for primary elections,” she said.