Moatlhodi's defection rattles BNF
Isaiah Morewagae | Thursday April 17, 2014 16:50
The BNF had, before Moatlhodi came to the picture, assigned youthful Maokaneng Bontshetse the constituency candidature for Umbrella For Democratic Change (UDC).
UDC is an opposition cooperation of the BNF, Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD) and Botswana Peoples Party (BPP). Moatlhodi, who in his resignation letter to the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) stated that he had loyally served the ruling party for over 39 years, was welcomed to the opposition camp yesterday by UDC and BNF president, Duma Boko.
After unveiling Moatlhodi, Boko said it is up to the Tonota branch to decide what to do with Moatlhodi and Bontshetse.
'It is upon the constituents in Tonota to decide what to do. And we all know the processes to follow when they are two or more candidates wanting to contest in one constituency,' Boko said.
He said party regulations allows for the constituents to choose their own candidates without necessarily holding primary elections.
Maokaneng had gone unopposed for the parliamentary seat but now things have changed with Moatlhodi joining the BNF. Boko said at the moment they are yet to be informed as to what decision the constituency had taken.
'At the moment we have to give the electorates in that constituency to make their own decisions and only then, will we act,' Boko said.
In accepting BNF membership Moatlhodi, called on opposition activists to take stock of themselves and unite in the fight against injustices by the ruling party.
'Batswana are desperate for change. We are no longer save in our own homes. We are leaving in fear for being spied upon,' Moatlhodi said.
He criticised President Ian Khama administration programme of donating blankets to the poor saying that has bred dependency syndrome amongst Batswana.
Moatlhodi called on opposition activists to show the ruling party that it cannot always push people around as it pleases.
'Batswana looks up to the opposition as an alternative government as such we should be serious about ourselves,' Moatlhodi said.
He said it was fulfilling for him to have joined the UDC partner and called upon its members to work hard in ensuring that they remove the BDP from power in October.
The writing has been on the wall that Moatlhodi will defect from the ruling party after losing BDP's primary elections to the party deputy treasurer Thapelo Olopeng. Moatlhodi’s appeals to the party central committee went ignored.
He then approached the opposition parties, first the Botswana Congress Party, then the BNF.