Khama nips barata-phathi in the bud

LEKOPANYE MOOKETSI
Correspondent | Monday April 12, 2010 00:00

 

Khama has since realised that the Barata-Phathi are serious about their plans and it would not help the situation to fight fire with fire.

Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) insiders said Khama is now approaching Barata-Phathi Members of Parliament (MPs) individually.  Khama is said to have been charming during his meetings with the individual MPs. The idea is to convince them not to leave the BDP.  By approaching the MPs individually, Khama also intends to divide Barata-Phathi.  A BDP member said Khama does not want to talk  to Barata-Phathi as a group because it would seem as if he recognises the mavericks.

Already two of the MPs, the unpredictable Tawana Moremi and Mmoloki Raletobana have taken Khama's bait. The two legislators have apologised to Khama for attending the Barata-Phathi watershed meeting in Mogoditshane and they have been pardoned.  Of the original six MPs who attended the meeting, only four are still sticking to their guns.

Sources in the BDP, said Khama is not concerned about Barata-Phathi ringleaders like Kabo Morwaeng and Sidney Pilane.  It seems Khama's plan is to keep the legislators only and discard Morwaeng and Pilane.

Formerly a staunch Barata-Phathi supporter, Daniel Kwelagobe is now reported to be the one who is convincing the MPs not to leave the BDP.  Kwelagobe is reportedly being used by Khama to approach the radicals.

Khama has always used the soft approach to convince BDP members to follow his line.  Just before he became the president in 2008, Khama persuaded Gomolemo Motswaledi to contest the Gaborone Central constituency. 

Khama did not want Motswaledi to contest the primary elections in Serowe North West against his younger brother, Tshekedi Khama.  Tshekedi inherited the constituency, which was vacated by his elder brother when he became the Republican president. 

At some stage, Motswaledi intended to contest the primary elections against Tshekedi.  However, he was persuaded by other BDP members to yield for the sake of stability in the party.

Motswaledi said Khama did not want him to contest the central committee elections during the Gantsi congress in 2003.

Last year Khama also adopted this approach, but when it failed he wielded the stick.  Just before the party congress in Kanye, Khama decided that Cabinet ministers should not contest BDP central committee elections. 

But the real target was Kwelagobe who was then presidential affairs and public administration minister.  During the BDP council that preceded the congress, Khama tried to convince Kwelagobe not to stand for the central committee elections.  But Kwelagobe could not give in much to Khama's fury. Kwelagobe insisted that he was going to abide by the party constitution, which stipulates that every BDP member is free to stand for any position.

After his trick had failed, Khama retaliated by kicking out Kwelagobe from the Cabinet.  He also declared that he would not work with Kwelagobe, describing him as a 'power-hungry' individual. In the run-up to the July 7 Kanye congress, Khama de-campaigned Kwelagobe.  Khama openly campaigned for Tebelelo Seretse who was challenging Kwelagobe for the BDP chairperson's post.  But to Khama's dismay, Kwelagobe was swept back to power.

After last year's general election a plan was hatched by BDP backbenchers and opposition MPs to come up with their own list of Specially Elected MPs. The idea was to reject the list proposed by Khama. 

The opposition was going to benefit because even their own members were going to be specially elected this time around.

But Khama got wind of the plot.  Just before Parliament resumed to elect specially elected MPs, the BDP backbenchers received calls from the Office of the President (OP).  They were informed to wait for more calls announcing their possible appointments to the Cabinet.  But that was never to be.

The BDP backbenchers ditched the opposition and voted for the list that Khama had proposed.

BDP members describe Khama as a shrewd tactician.  They said Khama is in the habit of using people and ditching them when they are no longer useful.  They gave an example of former BDP secretary general, Jacob Nkate.  They said Khama dumped Nkate when the former Cabinet minister needed him most.

Nkate was one of the people who used to fight Khama's battles.  Last year before the BDP congress, he joined forces with Khama to attack Kwelagobe in public.

Nkate did not defend his secretary general position after Khama ordered that Cabinet ministers should not contest central committee elections. 

Nkate, who was the MP for Ngami, was defeated during the October 16, 2009 general election. But Khama did not return him to Parliament as a specially elected MP.  Observers say this is how Khama dumped him.  If he had been appointed as specially elected MP, Nkate could have been assured of a Cabinet post. 

Although he has been appointed BEDIA chief executive officer (CEO), would Nkate have preferred the cabinet because that is where real power lie?  At the time when he was toppled by the opposition, Nkate was one of the senior ministers in Khama's cabinet. 

Another foot soldier that Khama forgot about is Kavis Kario who was also humiliated at the polls.  When he was still an MP, Kario was one of the vocal MPs who used to defend Khama.  Actually, this could be what cost him his parliamentary seat. But Khama did not consider him as a specially elected MP even though he used to be one of the president's right handmen. 

In Khama, Barata-Phathi are aware who they are dealing with. Actually, their grievances stem from his alleged autocratic leadership style.

During the Mogoditshane meeting, delegates made it clear that they were tired of Khama's dictatorial tendencies.  'Enough is enough,' was the message that resonated at the Big Five Lodge conference centre.

This was why they adopted a resolution to form their own party.

You could just feel that there was much resentment against Khama at the meeting.

There was even a call for Khama to step down.  Others expressed concern that he might not hand over power when his term expires.  'I have a suspicion that he will extend his term,' one of the delegates raised his worries about Khama.