Response To Your Article

| Monday October 4, 2010 00:00

As far as we know, there is no plan to topple Duma Boko from his position. Boko has just been elected at a properly convened Congress and it is inconceivable that anyone can attempt to topple or oust him hardly three (3) months after the Congress.

The article suggests that the party's secretary general, Cde Akanyang Magama is in the forefront of this plot.  It is further alleged in the article that a trio in the Youth league is also targeted as it is standing on the way of a successful execution of the alleged plot to oust Boko.

We are surprised that your paper carried such an article which is based on rumour and has an intention to cause mistrust within the party leadership. If we can allow this time [read type] of allegations and gossip to find their way into the newspaper columns, then the papers will move from their objective and mandate and be used as vehicles for spreading rumours, lies and hatred.

We are of the view that this article not only compromised your integrity as a paper but was also aimed at tarnishing the image of the party and in particular some members within leadership.   We at the BNF can verily state that there is no such plan to oust Boko and that Magama is fully behind the party president.

Furthermore, there is no member of the central committee who is involved in a plan [to oust Boko].  The only reason why there are such allegations is to cause disharmony within the central committee.

If at all there was any truth in this matter and it was not meant to denigrate anyone, we take it that it could have been raised internally so that the 'accused' comrades could have had the opportunity to answer. This is how we expect things to be done in the BNF.     

Newspapers are free to write on any matter that involves the BNF. That we will always encourage as a matter of principle. But they should guard against being used to portray other people negatively. To us this was an article driven by malice. 

Moeti MohwasaBNF Publicity Secretary

Editor's noteThe story about the BNF that we carried in the paper is no different from the other[s] that we carried before. There are many ways for us to get leads to stories and we subject them to objectivity. This one was no exception and that is why all the concerned parties were granted the opportunity to respond to the allegations.