Boko extends olive branch to AP
Onalenna Kelebeile | Friday October 27, 2017 13:52
Addressing coalition members on Wednesday as part of the UDC ongoing national tour, Boko said they were asked to mediate after the violence-ridden BMD Bobonong congress and they did. He said there was no way UDC could just impose itself on issues it was not consulted on, hence they waited for BMD members to seek intervention. He said after hearing submissions from both sides of the BMD they learnt that in fact the BMD inner party battles started during the Gantsi congress two years earlier. “We then resolved that the party reinstate expelled members and that the Ramotswa youth congress was unconstitutional. The UDC offered to engage guidance and counselling professionals for the BMD leadership after which another congress to elect the party leadership would be decided upon,” he said.
Boko, who is also the president of the coalition member, Botswana National Front, said BMD was asked to go and agree on power sharing between the Ndaba Gaolathe-led and Sidney Pilane-led factions and that UDC could not immediately resolve on another congress to avoid more battles erupting. He said they were to learn later that others have decided to break away because they did not like the UDC position on the matter.
“We will however, embrace and gladly accept them back once they decide to come back,” he said. He added that there were also concerns over Pilane’s inclusion in the negotiation talks and explained that Pilane was delegated by BMD to be part of the negotiation talk and said the UDC leadership cannot be convinced to hate anybody because they are a people of love. He added that coming in uninvited to resolve the impasse within the BMD as others suggested, would have been a violation of natural justice and said UDC did what was necessary in this matter by engaging both parties. “You could not just find anybody guilty before according them a fair trial, hence both were summoned and it does not make sense for anybody to think I can overlook the procedures by favouring one over the other,” he said. Boko also took the opportunity to clear the confusion over the Botswana Congress Party (BCP) position in the UDC.
He explained that BCP is a member of the UDC. He said they saw the need to hold talks for the BCP to join the UDC, as their common goal is to change the lives of Batswana. “We both introspected and engaged in self-mediatory talks as equal parties and commenced three- tier negotiations,” he said. He said both parties had equal number of members in the talks that were divided into four streams being governance, constitution, constituencies and policy and a team of negotiators above them. He added that each stream had UDC members from all member parties. Boko said Pilane was amongst the delegation sent by BMD in the constitution stream and said it was not upon the UDC to choose delegates, but parties themselves.
In the event that negotiators failed to agree on a matter, it was sent to the presidents whose decisions were binding. Such, that passed to the presidents were the issues of constituency allocations by BPP, UDC colours and the name by BCP. Boko said the issue of colours had been agreed upon before the 2011 talks collapsed while parties were to make bilateral agreements on issues concerning constituencies. “We agreed on the name UDC and to have two vice presidents as BCP has submitted. BCP is our member legally and administratively. For those who say there is no signing between UDC and BCP, I want to tell them that verbal agreement is recognised by the law and is legally binding,” he said. BCP president, Dumelang Saleshando had earlier confirmed his party membership of the UDC.
He expressed the need to support those who are pulling back to find their feet and move on. “Challenges are there to divide us, but do not despair but become stronger against those who want to derail the UDC mandate,” he said.