Dispute over BNF youth congress deepens

EPHRAIM KEORENG
Staff Writer | Thursday March 11, 2010 00:00

 

The BNFYL central committee is understood to have met over the weekend and resolved to postpone the elective congress. The decision was apparently arrived at after the party central committee dissuaded the BNFYL from holding the congress in Mochudi so it could be held together with the planned party Leadership Forum in Francistown.

In an earlier interview, BNF spokesperson Moeti Mohwasa said they had agreed with the youth that the congress be held simultaneously with the Leadership Forum and Women's Wing congress to save costs.

However, the BNFYL weekend meeting is said to have come out clear that it would not entertain 'interference from the mother body' over the way it conducts its affairs, especially the congress.

BNFYL publicity secretary Arafat Khan has said that 'we didn't want the venue of the congress to be imposed on us, as the central committee wanted to do. They didn't consult us; we just heard that they wanted us to hold the congress at the same time with the party leadership forum in Francistown. We feel as the BNFYL we are being undermined,' he said.

This development raises the question of power relations between the youth league and the BNF central committee led by party president Otsweletse Moupo. Does the BNF politburo have the powers to direct and control the youth league and can they overrule the youth movement's decisions?

In an earlier interview, BNF spokesperson (Mohwasa) said he was puzzled the league would seek to be independent, when it was an organ of the BNF.

BNFYL's Khan insists that they can make decisions on their own without seeking the party politburo's approval.On the other hand, BNFYL vice-president said though the youth organ makes its own decisions it has to consult with the party's high command.

'They can make some inputs and advise us to go back on certain decision, but they would give reasons why we should reconsider our decisions. In this case, we suggested and agreed with the big central committee that we will hold the congress at the time when the party will be holding the leadership forum. However we realized that we (BNFYL) can't hold two big events at the same time as a party hence we met and decided to postpone our congress to May,' he said.

Interestingly he has differed with Khan saying, 'I can't say we have absolute powers. We can't have powers over the big committee as we are an organ of the party,' he said.

Former BNFYL secretary general James Matlhokgwane said that the youth league could make its own decisions and inform the central committee of its resolutions. They 'can only inform and not seek permission' from the mother body. He explained that it is only in exceptional cases where the league can consult the central committee 'but the big committee cannot direct the BNFYL. The league is independent,' he said.  He said the Moupo-led central committee is desperate and wants to control all organs of the party 'to get all the mileage, especially when they have an ulterior motive'.

Youth activist and Khumaga councillor Thomas Kgethenyane said that the BNFYL should not always depend on the central committee for everything. He said the reason why there is a hullabaloo over where they should hold the congress, 'It's because the youth league does not have its own financial power. They depend on the central committee for logistical support, hence the high command also feels it should have direct control on where and when to hold the congress,' he said.

The civic leader said that the BNFYL should also have partnerships with international youth leagues, which share the same ideologies with them. This he said would help the league to smoothly run its affairs without being manipulated.