Does Boko embrace the BMD?
Chakalisa Dube | Tuesday January 23, 2018 17:00
The BMD is a contracting party to the UDC, a coalition made up of opposition parties. Boko’s remarks earned deafening cheers during a star rally he addressed in Francistown.
Although he did not single out the potential detractors many calculated his remarks as a veiled warning aimed at the BMD who have often been accused of trying to cause instability in the UDC.
“Ga go kake ga phamolwa sengwe mo go Boko. Ha o bua ore Boko o tla phamolelwa sengwe, o a mo itse Boko? Ke netswe ke dipula ka mehuta mme ke ntse ke eme tsii,” Boko said. Loosely translated Boko’s remarks meant that he is ready for any challenge that may befall the UDC.
BMD president Sydney Pilane has in the past been accused by some of trying to gain control of the UDC in order to destroy the coalition. He has also dismissed speculation insisting that those who want to tarnish his name peddle the allegations.
There is even widespread talk that Boko’s recent suggestions that the UDC will have a final say on the constituencies allocated to the contracting parties is likely to cause tension within the UDC. In fact, the BMD leader maintains a contrary position.
“Nobody, not the UDC nor anyone else, is going to tell us how to deal with our constituencies, and nobody is going to vet our candidates ka seo ga re ise re se bue ra se dumalana (because we have not deliberated nor agreed on that matter),” Pilane recently wrote in a response to Boko. His response was widely quoted in the media.
UDC head of communications, Moeti Mohwasa said: “It is not justified to say that he (Boko) was referring to the BMD. He was just saying that he is ready to deal with any threats that the coalition might come across. There is a perception that the UDC is facing various forms of threats. It is worth noting that those threats are not from the BMD,” he said.