BNF split on congress resolution?

EPHRAIM KEORENG
Staff Writer | Friday September 17, 2010 00:00

 

In an interview yesterday, BNFYL secretary general, Arafat Khan, said the party congress in July resolved that BNF members should be reinstated through the party's normal re-admission procedures.

That means the expelled members will come in as new members after indicating through writing a letter to the party structures that they want to come back to the party, he said.

The BNFYL secretary general's statement comes in the wake of a letter to constituencies, written by BNF politburo secretary general Akanyang Magama where he informs them that the Mochudi Congress '...unanimously resolved that all party members who are either suspended or expelled should be reinstated unconditionally.

This means that there are no expelled or suspended BNF members. Inform all affected members in your respective constituencies to resume active participation in the affairs of the party.'

Khan said that the youth league is not aware of the letter by Magama, but 'if indeed it exists and says what we are told it's saying that expelled or suspended members should be reinstated unconditionally and thus continue as old members like they were before expulsion or suspension, that will be wrong.

The congress resolution should not be read in isolation with the BNF's constitution clause 8.1 which states that expelled members may be readmitted to the BNF with approval of the central committee in consultation with their ward,' he said.

The youth leader said the party leadership and members should adhere to the congress and no one should try to change it to suit their personal interests.

Some suspect that the Magama letter states that members have been 'reinstated unconditionally' by the Mochudi congress. This is seen by some as a ploy to slot in a certain member of the 'Temporary Platform' into the central committee as an additional member through the special nomination process.

The BNF constitution stipulates that you should have been a member of the party for more than two years to qualify to be in its politburo.

However, Magama says there is nothing wrong in having any of the members who had been expelled being nominated to the politburo, as they are 'not new members of the BNF. Their expulsion was set aside by the congress. The president, who has the prerogative to nominate people to the central committee can pick any of them because they are old serving members of the party,' he said.

Commenting on Wednesday about the matter, Boko agreed that the Mochudi resolution stipulates that the expelled members should be reinstated unconditionally.

They just need to formalise with party structures, 'but they are not coming in as new members. The constitution doesn't say that,' he said.

Mokgweetsi Kgosipula, who was deputy secretary general at the Mochudi Congress, also taking notes of the resolutions as they were made, however says the contentious resolution Number 5 says expelled members should follow 'the normal procedures of re-applying to the party'.

The disputed resolution reads: 'Reconciliation with members expelled from the party since 2001 should be done with concerned members showing interest in the party and proper re-admission procedure adhered to'.

Khan maintained that they differ with Boko and Magama over the issue of reinstating the expelled members, urging that the constitution and the congress resolution should be adhered to as they are quite clear on the way the expelled members should be re-admitted into the party.