The BCP and BAM make history

Editor | Thursday April 8, 2010 00:00

Political parties that fail to recognise this simple fact are all too often condemned to the dustbin of history. The Nationalist Party of South Africa disappeared into oblivion after it failed, whilst trying hard, to remake itself into a modern party that many South Africans could relate to.  In the mid-90s, the opposition Botswana National Front became one of the most popular parties this country ever had, to the point that it threatened to unseat the ruling party.   As the BNF grabbed constituency after constituency from the ruling Botswana Democratic Party, the BDP found it necessary to remake itself in order to become much more relevant to the demands of the modern Botswana voter.

Whether it was successful or not remains a topic for political analysis. However, the lesson is that parties that are serious about playing a meaningful role in the politics of our times tend to remake themselves whenever they are threatened by the changing demands of the society. With the passage of time, the BNF and Botswana People's Party before it, appeared to lose the ability to respond and adapt to the concerns of the time.

If the last election results are anything to go by, it would be reasonable to deduce that the voter wanted to punish the BNF for this inability. The BNF stood on the cusp of something tragic, possibly, to completely disappear. Batswana of all political pursuits have been arguing that what is needed is a united opposition to give the hegemonic dominance of the BDP a test and revitalise our democratic system. Opposition parties, especially the BNF and its counterpart, the Botswana Congress Party, failed to come to the party as a result of their internecine differences that only served the selfish egos of some of the leadership.

However, today we see the suggestion of a new era in the history of the opposition. The BCP and Botswana Alliance Movement will announce their ultimate merger. Today's event therefore should not only be seen as a turning point in the history of opposition politics, but it should be considered a new beginning towards a much more meaningful engagement between opposition parties, especially the BNF and the BCP.

We therefore await the next stage in this slow revolution to make the opposition relevant to the concerns of Batswana. Now that the BAM and the BCP have shown the way, we believe other players such as the BNF will now rise from their slumber and realise that Botswana politics is about to make them redundant and irrelevant.

Before the train leaves the station, the BNF should be warned to wake up from their deep slumber and for once, do what is right.

                                                              Today's thought             Plan for the future, because that is where you are going to spend the rest of your life.

                                                             - Mark Twain