Khama's pick expected to lead BDP youth

MONKAGEDI GAOTLHOBOGWE
Staff Writer | Friday June 18, 2010 00:00

 

Will the congress receive and consider divergent views, or will they only listen to the president and rubberstamp his position? The congress comes at a time of serious concern that inner-party democracy at the BDP has been replaced by 'Khamacracy.'

Already, radio personality McDonald Rakgare of Yarona FM, a close friend of Khama's, is tipped to be anointed as the Chairman of the BDP Youth Wing, or he will clinch some other powerful position. Rakgare resigned from the Botswana National Front's (BNF) University of Botswana cell, Mass, where he was once elected president of the Student Representative Council (SRC).

Rakgare does not have any lobby list, while other aspirants for the same post, namely, Dithapelo Tshotlego, Alex Seanetso and Monare Bontsi all have lobby lists for all the available positions.

It is widely speculated that President Khama wants Rakgare for Chairman and that in the expected horse-trading and hard bargaining, Rakgare will emerge unopposed for Chairman.

The youth congress is already foreshadowed by an element of this. The BDP National Council recently resolved that there should be no outright elections for the youth wing positions and urged aspirants for the various posts to strike a compromise.

Yesterday, BDP administration officer Lee Lesetedi, who mediated in the compromise talks, told Mmegi a compromise list had been reached and that it would be presented to the congress this weekend. The deal involved taking six names from each of the three lobby lists to which was added radio presenter 'Chillyboy' to make up the compromise team.

The BDP youth wing congress comes in the midst of confusion after the party's former rival faction, Barata-phathi, broke ranks and formed a new party, the Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD), protesting what it called President Khama's autocratic tendencies.

Khama has become the sole symbol of the BDP, its identity and unifying force at a time when the BMD is attracting droves from the BDP. Ironically, those remaining are more fierce in their loyalty to the man they see as their means of political survival.

It was to this that party chairman Daniel Kwelagobe was understood to refer when he talked about an emerging culture of intolerance in the party when opening the BDP National Council in Gaborone a few weeks ago.

Khama has been on a tour of endearment with rural folk by addressing village meetings and interacting with ordinary people across the country.