Ndaba Need Not Look Far For Inspiration
Correspondent | Monday August 22, 2016 15:27
However I’m looking forward to a time when I will boldly put on what was once one of my favourite t-shirts, more so that unlike others, I’m a street hustler who fears no government backlash for openly supporting opposition.
I’m sure I’m not alone in my disappointment and battered morale due to what is currently going on in the BMD movement, where the leadership is eating one another every day, using all sorts of platforms, from social media, public media, political rallies, I’m tired like a dog, banghithi!
I’m in particular unhappy with the way our president the Hon Ndaba Gaolathe is continuing to handle the BMD differences, I’m very disappointed with him, as president.
Maybe it is because when he took over, I was one of the many BMD followers who believed he was the purest idealist leader we could ever find; we never expected him to err, even though we have a saying, to err is human. With Ndaba, we never expected him to disappoint us; we never saw in him divisive qualities, or arrogance, as we always saw him as the most humble of our species.
We were lying to ourselves. But we still can’t live with the fact that we were lying to ourselves when we formulated this holly, or should I say, pure image about the man in our minds.
Even when Ndaba revolted against the duly elected BMD Youth NEC, we instead blamed the young NEC for the problem; when he alienated the National Executive Committee led by the likes of Modubule, Mangole, Dr Mmatli, once again we blamed the NEC, and chose to run with his version of events.
Bagaetsho, Ndaba ga se phathi, we can’t be running after one man when the rest of the officials who built the organization are being sidelined by one man and being called all sort of names.
I live among the BMD members, they are my brothers and sisters, we smoke and drink together, but there is this thing that is troubling me; whenever someone is not liked by a certain faction, he is being called names, and given labels, as if that person never contributed to the Party.
It is time for Ndaba to learn simple politics leadership 101 from his predecessor, Gomolemo, who never sidelined his challengers; instead Gomolemo went to the St Joseph’s NEC elections and faced Sidney Pilane and his team, and won, and shook hands. Gomolemo never divided the party simply because some people wanted to challenge him; he had his weaknesses as a human being but throwing the party into turmoil was not one of them.,
Maybe Ndaba can also learn from UDC colleague Duma Boko who has also had to deal with similar challenges.
It is time for Ndaba to exhibit his leadership qualities by stopping to fight the BMD NEC, a good leader would find a way of working with his NEC and not pulling the other way, leaving some of us confused and despondent.
I fear that with this attitude, tomorrow Ndaba may fail to lead Cabinet or government, in fact my worst fear right now is that with his attitude and weak leadership qualities, he can easily be toppled. I plead, Ndaba, rise and show us your leadership qualities.
Bomolemo Rabogatsu,
Gaborone