'Clandestine' project to oust Masisi uncovered
Ryder Gabathuse | Friday October 26, 2018 13:13
FRANCISTOWN: This might see Masisi’s dream of enjoying his two five-year statutory presidential terms frustrated from within the party as the Khama supporters are reportedly determined to use their numbers to ‘oust’ the President. They want their preferred presidential candidate to take over and prove that their man, Khama is no pushover.
The BDP is expected to hold an elective congress next year and instead of simply endorsing a candidate in the sitting State and party president, as it has been the norm, this time around, tough contest is expected to determine who wins the day.
Mmegi is on good authority that Khama’s support has been swelling across the party’s 14 regions, leaving the incumbent Masisi with only a few constituencies from some regions loyal to him.
Khama’s supporters are expected to come up with their presidential candidate(s) to counter Masisi who seeks support to go into his term proper as the party’s presidential candidate in the 2019 general elections.
Unity continues to elude the BDP as the party’s major factions battle it out for political attention.
It seems the order that traditionally defined the BDP factions has temporarily shifted to the Masisi/Khama axis from the popular Barata Phathi and A-Team factions.
The Masisi faction currently dominates both the party and government. But, it seems things are getting altered by the day with the Khama faction now slowly gaining ground.
Of late, opinion has been divided across the ruling BDP mainly between the supporters of former president Khama and his successor Masisi, as they have not been on talking terms.
With Khama seemingly facing incessant ‘persecution’ from Masisi as he (President Masisi) continues to assert himself in the execution of his duties as the sitting President, those watching from the sidelines have a feeling that Masisi is intolerant of Khama.
Now, Khama seems to be cashing in from the state of confusion, as people tend to sympathise with him than blaming him for his unnecessary demands and expectations from the Masisi administration.
Mmegi is privy to the details that on the day of the party elective congress next year, the Khama supporters are likely to come up with three candidates when in actual fact, they only have a single candidate whilst the other names will simply be decoys.
Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi, a senior Cabinet fellow, is viewed as a potential choice of a presidential candidate to challenge Masisi because of her leadership and administrative prowess.
She is on her way out of Parliament on retirement from politics and her supporters find her a suitable candidate as it will be the first time Botswana has a female politician as a presidential candidate for the ruling BDP.
Whether she would agree to the assignment or not, the pro-Khama group has high hopes on her to carry the assignment. Other candidates are reportedly, Samson Guma Moyo and Khama’s younger brother, Tshekedi Khama.
Venson-Moitoi informed Mmegi this week that she was not aware that there were people who are looking at her as a potential presidential candidate against the incumbent Masisi.
“I am very far from that and I will not entertain such. I am at peace where I am,” Venson-Moitoi said.
She insisted that she was going to run a consultancy as means of bringing food to her table as politics doesn’t have pension.
She added angrily: “ I don’t want to be turned into news and there is enough of this nonsense about me”.
Venson-Moitoi added that she has announced that she will be retiring from politics so that, “I can take care of my pension”.
As for those who view her as a suitable presidential candidate for the BDP come 2019 general elections, she said: “If they have such wishes, they should come up in the open and state their desires”.
She was worried about people who peddle what she termed lies on such issues saying they were hell-bent on being liked and have a tendency of engaging in smear campaigns.
Even with her anger and frustrations, Mmegi sources are adamant that she is the preferred person.
Tati-East legislator Guma spoke in parables in an interview from his London trip this week.
“Culturally, we support the one in the office and we work as a collective and there is consultation in all that the party prefers,” said Guma in a telephone interview before adding: “Unless they have found something dramatic affecting the incumbent’s candidacy which I am not privy to”.
Efforts to solicit comments from Tshekedi Khama were fruitless at press time as his prompt automated response was, “Sorry, I can’t talk right now.”
University of Botswana (UB) lecturer, political and administrative studies, Adam Mfundisi’s first response was that it is possible that Khama with his cohorts can present a serious challenge to President Masisi.
How they can do that is not clear as of now, Mfundisi posited. He sincerely postulated that Khama’s purported supporters can present a candidate for position of president of the party, “but they will face insurmountable obstacles in pursuance of their objectives”.
He holds a view that the alleged Khama group will fracture the BDP and further erode the support of the party in its traditional strongholds.
“Eventually, the group will fail to unseat the incumbent president of both the party and the country. But they will have done irreparable damage to the party, which wants to present itself as a united force in the political landscape of the country,” he warned.
In his learned opinion, the anti-Masisi group is not ready to pose any serious challenge to the president. They are not united in their quest to unseat him as of now.
“They do not have a logical, coherent strategy to execute their actions as we speak. They do not have a clear leader except former president Khama who has already completed his tenure as the president of Botswana,” Mfundisi analysed.
President Khama has had his trials and tribulations in the political landscape of Botswana whilst the incumbent President Masisi has numerous advantages vis-a-vis any challenger that may emerge from the other camp.
The incumbency factor, Mfundisi insisted, positions Masisi above any challenger from the other camp.
“As the president of the party and country, he has name recognition, reputation as well as connections within the party and beyond. He is in possession of state resources of different kinds, which he can unleash to propel his candidature.”
He noted that the President has the intelligence community and the state media, which he can use to position himself strategically versus his opponent.
There is also the issue of the President relying on experienced human resources within government and beyond to give him leg up as opposed to his opponent.
“Candidates who are standing for elections in 2019 would be very cautious of the power of President Masisi and would not dare to do anything that would put them in bad light in relation to him. Therefore, risk - averse by candidates would work for the president.”
Financial resources that the incumbent president might draw from the business community in particular might offset his opponent’s chances. Remember Camp Dubai in Tonota and Mmadinare where Masisi and his teams won with clear landslide victories.
With the BDP going into the elections a divided party, it may lead to its demise. The 2014 general elections results have reflected the erosion of the BDP power base.
“If the Khama faction which is formidable, but incapable of unseating the President may pose a serious challenge to the survival of the president, the BDP support base if shaky and an avalanche of challenges and threats may torpedo it,” warns Mfundisi.
The UB don acknowledges that the chances of the BDP losing elections will be enhanced if the Khama faction breaks away from the ruling party by any means possible.
“President Masisi is sitting on precarious grounds that may give way,” Mfundisi said in summation.