Boko puts BNF on the spot

TSHIRELETSO MOTLOGELWA
Staff Writer | Tuesday June 15, 2010 00:00

 

The card party's central committee threw a spanner in Boko's presidential campaign by declaring, early this month, that his membership duration fell below the stipulated five years, therefore he could not contest.

The party revealed that although Boko had claimed to have had a valid life membership prior to March 2010 when he was issued with a renewal, a taskforce is said to have later found that in 2003 he was a founding member of the splinter group the National Democratic Front.

The investigation, the party leadership said, had to conclude therefore that the March application was not a renewal but a fresh application for membership. That effectively ruled him out of contesting in the forthcoming July presidential contest.

Boko maintained meanwhile that he had a membership card from 2003 showing the validity of his membership but he could not locate it, and neither could the party office. Boko and his supporters have been holding their breath while they searched for the valid membership card indicating membership of duration longer than five years minimum required by the party constitution.

Last night the youthful lawyer told Mmegi that he had finally located the card, and presented it to Mmegi. The card shows what looks like the signature of the former secretary general of the party Akanyang Magama.

Last Friday in a strongly worded letter to the party, he castigated the party for the ill-conceived plot to oust him, maintaining that he would present the card.

'I have now after a careful search been able to find my 2003 card and the record at the BNF, which should have been the primary source anyway, do not seem to ever have been consulted by those who took the decision,' states Boko.

He said his search followed his visit to the party office where he was unable to locate any record due to the flawed filing system. 'I was advised that the system was not working and after attending a couple of times told the system had undergone so many crashes and repairs that I would need to seek and obtain a new card. This was a renewal of my existing membership. I fulfilled all the requirements for renewal of my membership as advised and was issued with a membership card. A decision had thus been taken to renew my membership,' argues Boko.

He concludes therefore that his membership was never terminated from 2003 onwards.  Yesterday the party executive did not meet to consider the matter as weekend newspapers had originally reported.  Contrary to the letter written to him, Boko argues that he was never advised that there was an investigation into the validity of his membership at the time when he renewed his membership early this year.

He interrogated the motivations of those who sought to have him suspended, saying their presence made it impossible for the committee to make an objective decision. Boko said he is sure the issue will be dispensed with before the end of the day today (Tuesday).

Meanwhile, Mohwasa said that the party was open to the idea of being availed the membership card, urging Boko to submit the card to the party office. 'He should avail the card to the party as soon as he can so this issue can be dispensed with. Kana ha e le gore o tshotse membership card ga gona kgang akere?' said Mohwasa. Mohwasa said the party would make a determination on the matter once it has the membership card.