The BNF's fortunes on the wane
Ryder Gabathuse | Friday March 12, 2021 14:10
MMEGI: It goes without saying that the BNF has emerged from the 2019 general election battered and simply reduced to a shadow of itself in so far as the parliamentary seats it won are considred. What do you think is really responsible for this state of affairs as the party’s gains continue to dwindle?
HUNYEPA: There was massive systematic rigging south of Dibete (by the ruling, Botswana Democratic Party (BDP)) where the BNF had fielded most of the candidates on behalf of the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC). We have ample evidence, but the Courts of law refused to listen to our case. It is unfortunate the BDP MPs have even rejected legislator Yandani Boko’s motion in Parliament last week that sought to amend the Electoral Act so that elections in Botswana can be free, fair and credible. The BDP is winning national elections through massive rigging and abuse of State resources. The media should be helping to expose this rot and undemocratic practices.
MMEGI: Prior to and during the campaigns for the 2019 general election, the BNF was indeed a force to reckon with to the extent that it seemingly lived up to one of its objectives of uniting the opposition parties, inter alia, Botswana Congress Party and the Botswana Peoples Party (BPP). We understand that individual parties contracted to the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) still exist as individual entities and conduct their businesses as such besides their indebtedness to the umbrella. What is going on at the BNF?
HUNYEPA: The BNF is still a force to reckon with. Individual parties still exist as they have not been dissolved.
The issue of dissolution and merging into UDC is a congress matter that can only be resolved at that level. It is the BNF congress that can pass a dissolution resolution on the matter as per its constitution. For now, there is no such resolution.
MMEGI: You will recall that towards the 2019 general election, an association known as the BNF Veterans Association (through Advocate Patrick Kgoadi) voiced out that the BNF had to pull out of the UDC to help it revamp its image and brighten up its prospects of winning the election without the burden of the UDC. What’s your response to this?
HUNYEPA: Veterans Association is one of the auxiliary bodies of the BNF. The BNF has a standing 2010 congress resolution of uniting the opposition. Comrade Kgoadi was therefore, out of order if he ever remarked as such. The BDP can only be removed by a united opposition and an amended Electoral Act and not a single opposition party.
MMEGI: I am tempted to observe that under the stewardship of Duma Boko, the BNF has been blowing hot and cold although it remained fixated on its desire to embolden the UDC project. Just when all and sundry was crediting Boko for resuscitating the fortunes of the BNF, the party was seemingly on a ‘free fall’ now with its fortunes pointing to a downward trajectory. Could you kindly share your views on this observation?
HUNYEPA: The BNF is still as fit as a fiddle under Duma Boko and there is no downward trajectory. Its statutory conferences and congresses are held without fail. Membership is growing. Party offices are running. BNF has remained united and intact while the ruling party BDP has split twice during Boko’s time as BNF president.
The BNF has continued to engage in criticism and self-criticism which detractors obviously exaggerate as in-fighting. The BNF won all the three parliamentary by-elections after the 2014 general election when talk of a dying BNF was loudest. We even challenge the two UDC MPs who were under BNF who defected to BDP recently to resign today and BNF will win back these constituencies. UDC has become a force to reckon with under Boko and no opposition can win elections outside it.
Some journalists and so-called analysts from the University of Botswana (UB) are sponsored to tarnish the name of the party and its leadership and some even went publicly about this and boasted that they will never write anything positive about Boko and the BNF. We give interviews in some media and they never publish the good BNF stories, but are ready to soil the party’s name.
MMEGI: Who is to be blamed for the seemingly waning fortunes of the BNF? Is it the party leadership, party structures or the partners at the UDC? Or what factors do you blame for the state of the BNF as one of the country’s oldest parties, yet struggling to live up to its dream of taking up the government?
HUNYEPA: Attempts have been made by State media and some captured journalists to portray the BNF in bad light, but they have not worked.
The BNF has its challenges like all the other political parties in the country, and its problems are just being exaggerated by some notorious journalists and biased analysts.
The BNF is now working with other opposition parties under UDC and cannot be judged on its own outside the coalition.
This is a collective effort and we are not in competition within the UDC. Since 2014, the BNF has not stood for elections independently but under the UDC.
Of course, some BNF members and other sympathisers feel the BNF has given away its strongholds to other UDC affiliates, but this is a coalition and BNF had to demonstrate maturity and the spirit of working together to unseat the BDP. The approach worked and the BDP had to aggressively rig the elections to survive. The BDP is not popular anymore. UDC won most of the constituencies but the BDP used the flaws in the Electoral Act as well as security agents to steal UDC votes.
MMEGI: There seems to be internal wrangles that erupt from time to time especially as the BNF hints holding an electoral congress with factions of the party at each other’s throat. Don’t you think this state of affairs has a potential of further polarising the party that has a bigger dream of helping other parties unite if unity continues to elude them (BNF) internally?
HUNYEPA: The BNF constitution provides for temporary platforms towards congress where lobby teams can be formed. These are not factions. The BNF by its nature encourages debates in its platforms under the guidance of party policies. Criticism and self-criticism are party robust debates and have been there for quite sometimes now. Of course, the BDP moles sometimes take advantage of these differences and use sSate resources to cause havoc within the opposition.
MMEGI: There is a noted worry about the BNF’s poor presence or no presence at all in the northern part of the country as shown by the party’s absence of structures although the party harbours plans to spread its influence as the last general election saw the BNF uprooted from the southern part of the country which has been its stronghold. What are your views on this?
HUNYEPA: The BNF suffered a serious blow due to the 1998 split which led to the formation of the BCP. The BNF has some MPs and councillors up north and has even set up some functioning structures. In the south, elections were massively rigged by the BDP.
MMEGI: It has since come to light that some BNF structures like the Veterans Association have been worried about Boko’s ‘non-disclosure’ of the faceless benefactor who funded the UDC in the last general election. Their concern was that Boko invested a lot of money into the UDC which the members didn’t know where it came from. What’s your comment on this?
HUNYEPA: There is no party funding in Botswana and the BDP is using public resources for political campaigns. Faceless companies have sponsored the BDP for years now and the media is aware of this, but pretends not to see and hear about it. The same media was silent when Boko was accused of selling Batswana land when the journalists knew very well who was actually selling this country. The media is not concerned with the BDP faceless funders. Boko did publicly declare who was funding the UDC and the BDP was asked the same questions.
It was only after the elections that the BDP were seen dining and wining with some unnamed local and foreign sponsors, some with unsavoury records. We should not hide behind the Veterans Associations as this was spun by some paid journalists and analysts who have been clear they don’t like Boko.
I have not heard the Veterans on this issue, but surely they would have picked it from the BDP paid propagandists
MMEGI: The 2019 general election petitions left a lot of BNF members in particular in debt. How is the party going to assist the individuals affected from their debts?
HUNYEPA: This is really painful to see citizens being made to pay for democracy in Botswana. First you are cheated at the polls, and then you are refused to seek justice in the flawed electoral process.
The BNF members have been raising funds through all the network providers’ SMS lines contributing through their respective constituencies.
There have been other concerned Batswana well-wishers who have contributed what little they can afford. We humbly appeal to all patriotic citizens to help fellow Batswana petitioners whose property is being auctioned by the BDP.