BDP requires clean, acceptable central committee � analyst
Chakalisa Dube | Friday March 17, 2017 17:02
Already the race for the chairmanship position promises to be a very fierce battle, with Vice President (VP) Mokgweetsi Masisi and Cabinet minister Nonofho Molefhi expected to tussle it out for the coveted position.
Other democrats like Robert Masitara are said to be toying around with the idea of challenging for the BDP chairmanship. Some democrats have also been submitting application letters to the party declaring their intentions to stand for other positions.
Front-runners, Masisi and Molefhi reportedly want to use the chairmanship to boost their Presidential bid. But the July central committee will be more than a springboard to the Presidency.
This will not be an ordinary election for many reasons. A lot will be at stake as the ruling party picks its new leadership. The new executive committee will face the challenge of rebuilding the party ahead of the hugely anticipated 2019 general elections.
The BDP recorded its worst performance in its history during the 2014 general elections. The party will also face an opposition that has been experiencing growth in recent years.
In addition, the BDP faces an uphill battle of reclaiming the trust of the voters who believe that the economic future of the country is severely bleak under the current regime.
The party has been faulted for not creating jobs and failing to rescue the country’s economy, which many pundits believe is heading for the doldrums. Thousands of citizens have lost jobs more especially in mining and this has brought resentment towards the BDP.
Fervent BDP members are also convinced that the party needs proper restructuring and has to bring in an executive team that will kill internal factions and lead the party into greater prosperity. In the wake of recent problems bedevelling the ruling party, what kind of characters should lead the ruling party?
Political analyst and University of Botswana lecturer, Kebapetse Lotshwao believes that the ruling party needs a clean central committee that will be accepted in the eyes of the general members of the public.
“A , scandal free chairman and by extension, central committee will help the party reclaim confidence of the voters. The party has been accused of fuelling corruption in Government, which is among the reasons its fortunes have been waning in recent years,” he said.
The BDP also needs a committee that has never been associated with factionalism and embrace ideals that promotes, unity among its members. A leader who is associated with elements of factionalism can worsen cracks within the BDP, Lotshwao said.
“Opposition parties are thriving on the failures of the ruling party. A new committee must clearly demonstrate that the ruling party is ready to change tact and serve the interest of the masses.
This will help counter the perception that the BDP has failed Batswana and bring optimism,” he said adding that when optimism is high on the electorate they can vote the ruling party.
The BDP executive committee especially in influential positions has to be overhauled.
“The opposition has managed to revive its fortunes because it managed to renew its leadership which brought in a new attitude of doing things. A new leadership can bring in new ideas that could help an organisation thrive,” Lotshwao said.
Political commentator Ndulamo Morima says the BDP needs a central committee that will appreciate issues of the workers and build strong relationships with trade Unions.
He said it is evident that workers are gaining too much strength, which may impact against the fortunes of the BDP in 2019. “In fact it is not that the party does not understand the concerns of the workers. It does understand them. It is only that some of its leaders have a bad attitude towards the workers,” said Morima adding that the poor attitude towards the workers should change if the BDP wants to retain power.
Morima added that the ruling party needs a central committee made up of ‘natural born politicians’ to penetrate the grassroots.
“To me, the BDP central committee should be dominated by people in the mould of Daniel Kwelagobe who are naturally born politicians. It needs people who can mobilise from the grassroots; people who will understand issues on the ground and come up with the right programmes,” he said.
According political analyst Zibani Maundeni, there needs an executive that is friendly to the Unions and sympathetic to the plight of the workers.
It needs a leadership that is patient and willing to work with the different factions in the party.
“It needs someone with good understanding of the dynamics of job-creation and prioritizes merit in appointing senior civil servants. It also requires an executive that minds about the poor,”