Masimolole defects to BMD

BAME PIET
Staff Writer | Friday July 23, 2010 00:00

 

Reluctantly announcing the development, Speaker of the National Assembly, Margaret Nasha, who declined to announce the presence of BMD at the beginning of the third meeting of the 10th Parliament of July 5th said, 'I have once again rearranged the seating order in accordance with Standing Order 50 after consultation with leaders of political parties. 'We now have a new official opposition party, namely the Botswana Movement for Democracy'.

While there was confusion over who the Leader of Opposition is going to be, BMD met late yesterday and agreed to appoint Botsalo Ntuane to the position.

When parliamentary business resumed yesterday, Samson Guma Moyo, occupied the seat for Leader of Opposition. Sitting next to him was Gaborone West South MP, Botsalo Ntuane, and Kgatleng West MP, Gilbert Mangole.

The BMD has now occupied the front seats where the Botswana National Front (BNF) members have sat since 1984 until 1998, when the BNF split, giving birth to the Botswana Congress Party. The BNF occupied the front row again in 1999 until yesterday.

Last night the BMD executive committee held a meeting where they decided on Botsalo Ntuane as the new Leader of Opposition.

This was confirmed by BMD chairperson Gomolemo Motswaledi.

'Anyone of our seven MPs could have easily became Leader of the Opposition because of their profound abilities but in the end the committee settled on the vice-chairman of the movement,' Motswaledi said.

Motswaledi said they were advised by the Speaker that the standing Orders demand that as the majority party in parliament they should nominate the Leader of Opposition.

Asked whether the new development might affect their relationship with the BNF Motswaledi said they in the opposition are too concerned about issues of critical importance to be bogged down on inconsequential issues like who is going to be the Leader of Opposition when such issues are better dealt with by statutes.

According to Motswaledi the BMD while forwarding the name of Ntuane will request that current Opposition Leader Olebile Gaborone of the BNF be allowed  to continue until the end of July.

'We heard that you had promised to give the position to MP Modubule, what happened?'

'That was a ludicrous charge and very demeaning on Rre Modubule. Unlike other people we do not believe in buying people,'  Motswaledi said.

The public gallery on the right hand side of the Speaker's desk was packed to capacity as members of the public came to witness yet another BDP MP crossing the floor to join the opposition. Meanwhile, MP for South East South, Odirile Motlhale, is rumoured to be on the way to joining the BMD today and two more MPs and a minister are said to be heading in the same direction in the next two weeks.

The defections confirm the statement made by Ntuane two weeks ago in Parliament that the BMD has hatched a plan against 'Rraetsho' a reference to President Ian Khama - that they intend to kill the BDP slowly and painfully.

'Re ikaeletse gore re le tseye ka bongwe ka bongwe go fitlhelela le felela. We did not want to cause panic or make the country ungovernable,' he said, in response to a remark made by Kanye North MP and Assistant Minister for Local Government, Kentse Rammidi.  Rammidi had earlier said that the BMD lied to the public when it announced that 25 MPs were going to join it but that had not materialised.

President of the Botswana National Front, Duma Boko, who was elected last weekend, said that they would be waiting for official communication from the BMD about what their position is regarding 'opposition cooperation'.

He said that as the leader of the BNF, he was aware of the huge task that comes with the position, and he is ready to handle whatever comes his way.  'I had no illusions about the enormity of the task. I expected the challenges and I am ready to handle them,' he said in an interview yesterday. Boko said that the removal of BNF as the major opposition in Parliament would not deter his central committee's determination to restore the party 'to its rightful position'.

On the issue of an early election, the BNF president was confident that it would be political suicide for the BDP if it was to call it. He said that bad governance demonstrated by the party in recent years has heightened public interest in politics to the point that people want to remove the BDP from power 'as a matter of urgency'.

He said there is a lot of looting of national resources by those in power and that something needs to be done.'These are interesting times of historic significance on our politics. I encourage young people to reshape the destiny of their country by associating with the BNF, which is a party of the masses and less fortunate in our society,' he said.

Meanwhile, the Botswana Congress Party (BCP) publicity secretary, Taolo Lucas, said they welcome the move. He said the BCP regards BMD as a partner and not a competitor and stated that they are impressed with what the party is doing to the BDP. 'We welcome what they are doing as long as it has negative impact on the BDP. We celebrate the disintegration of the BDP,' he said.

He cautioned that the BDP might be forced to call an early election if these defections continue, something which he said opposition parties are prepared for.

He said the BDP is now concentrating on defections instead of governing the country. 'They can't govern now. They are busy trying to know who is going next,' he said yesterday.