We hail the BMD

Editor | Wednesday May 4, 2011 00:00

It is normal to hear all sorts of stories and accusations preceding an event of such magnitude as a political party congress because emotions, hopes and illusions run high as candidates to high positions fight to catch the attention of all and sundry.

But for three days, the event ran without incident, and the new party has a National Executive Council (NEC) now. What is even more delightful about the BMD's inaugural congress is that those who lost have accepted the results and promised to take the party forward, bearing in mind that democracy is about competition and majority votes. This is commendable and worthy of emulation by the other (older) political parties because political stability is a requisite of economic growth.

However, we have been observing political developments in neighbouring South Africa where the Congress of the People (COPE) was formed under similar circumstances as the BMD. Since its formation a few months before the 2009 general elections in that country, COPE has never known peace because of two men who seem more interested in advancing their personal interests than those of the people.

Infact, they treat the party as their personal fiefdom with which they can do as they please, inevitably driving members away. We congratulate the BMD for not going the COPE way and hope its peaceful inaugural congress will inspire and act as a prelude to its deliberations for many years to come. In our view, this should not be difficult for as long as the BMD does not lose sight of the fact that the party is a platform of the people rather than the property of individuals.

                                                                          Keetshabe appointment

We take the opportunity to welcome the appointment of former Deputy Attorney General, Abram Keetshabe, to the position of General Counsel at the Office of the President. As one who has worked in the civil service for more than two decades, we believe that Rre Keetshabe will discharge the duty of advising the President competently and add a civilian touch to the military background that permeates that august office. This is what we have been calling for - an increase of the number of civilians at the OP because the sensitivity of those trained in the arts and the social sciences should make the OP more aware of common sensibilities and therefore the needs of the people. A case in point is whether the ongoing public service strike might not have been avoided had the OP been staffed by more civilians as before. Some people believe the strike is the spawn of the preponderance of military hawks at the OP for whom yielding to pressure is a sign of weakness and proceed to advise the President accordingly.

                                                                Today's thought                             Human beings have an inalienable right to invent themselves.                                          -Germaine Greer, O Magazine, September 2002