Molale�s rallies re-ignite tensions
Innocent Selatlhwa | Thursday July 21, 2016 18:00
The aggrieved members include the trio who contested for primaries against Molale during the by-election last year.
The Presidential Affairs and Public Administration minister held rallies in Mmakgori and Loporung settlement over the holidays. In his words, Molale said the rallies were an opportunity to interact with their voters regularly instead of interacting with them during election time. However, sources have said the likes of Frankie Motsaathebe, Kopo Mononi and Phillip Sebakile who contested in the by-election primaries were not aware of Molale’s meetings. “He has sidelined all of them ever since he lost the elections, but that will hurt the party. If we are to win the election we should be working together and it should be clear that he is the only candidate to represent the BDP in 2019,” the source lamented. Mmegi has learnt that Molale and the trio have never met with the minister since he lost the by-election last year. It is said that he felt the trio who were paraded at all rallies as supporting him were responsible for his loss. Motsaathebe had protested the outcome of the primaries but later withdrew and campaigned for Molale. The source also argues that as an ex-officio member of the branch committee, Molale does not have the authority to call a political rally.
Contacted for comment, Motsaathebe said he only heard from people that there was a gathering organised by Molale over the holidays. He however did not want to comment much only stating that “the people want me to try my luck again and I am also interested in challenging for primaries in 2019.”
Mononi expressed frustration at how things are going in their constituency. “Myself, Motsaathebe and Sebakile have been marked as those who made the party lose, I just heard hearsay about the meeting,” he said. Mononi said they have written letters to the party leadership and are hoping for a reconciliation meeting soon, adding that the standoff should be attended urgently. He also expressed his interest to contest in the primaries towards 2019.
Sebakile also said he only learnt of the rallies on the Botswana Television news bulletin. “I am not surprised, we have been sidelined for some time now, but I have not lost interest in representing my people,” he said. Sebakile said he would take the matter up with the branch and if there was no recourse he would take it up with the party leadership.
Efforts to get a comment from Molale proved futile as his mobile phone rang unanswered.
In response, the BDP secretary general Botsalo Ntuane said they have 20 liaison members of Parliament who have been tasked with taking government programmes to the people in opposition held constituencies.
“Opposition MPs do not take programmes to the people, Molale is a liaison MP for Borolong that is why he is holding the meetings,” he said. On inviting other members, Ntuane said it was up to the branch to organise their rallies and choose who should speak. He said those having issues should take them up with the branch and escalate them to party leadership if they are not resolved. Ntuane said thus far they do not know of any problems in the constituency.
The constituency branch chairman Kago Kamodi said they had organised the rally to revive the party. “We were not by any means sidelining anyone, people were informed through their branch committees, I cannot phone them individually,” he said. Kamodi said everything was going smoothly at their branch.