Umbrella MPs in double membership

EPHRAIM KEORENG
Staff Writer | Thursday June 21, 2012 00:00

 

UDC spokesperson, Moeti Mohwasa said yesterday that the MPs will now become members of the new Umbrella party, 'when they are also members of their parties, which make up the umbrella party'.  He explained that individual parties that negotiated and registered the UDC will not disband, but will be members of the new outfit.

Umbrella MPs have been reduced to eight after Botswana Movement for Democracy vice-president and Leader of Opposition, Botsalo Ntuane defected to the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP).

Mohwasa said that the double membership of Umbrella MPs is not necessarily meant to keep the Leader of Opposition post but is meant to build momentum for the 2014 general elections. He denied that the defection of Ntuane soon after Isaac Mabiletsa, the Botswana National Front (BNF) vice-president decamped to the Botswana Congress Party (BCP) will dent Umbrella's credibility. 'This project is not premised on individuals but on essentially getting the opposition together. Even after taking power, we will still have some people defecting. It is normal in politics,' he said.

Meanwhile BMD president, Gomolemo Motswaledi told a press conference in Gaborone yesterday that it is not true that his party is a Trojan Horse on a BDP mission to annihilate the opposition.  He said the vast majority of the BMD membership is made up of people who were not in the BDP.

Motswaledi said Ntuane should be respected for exercising his democratic right to re-join the BDP. 'He is our friend and stood by us at a time when it was tough, when we went to court. We cried together,' he said. At the press conference, BMD chairman, Nehemiah Modubule, said that the seat of Leader of Opposition is now vacant after Ntuane resigned. He stated that the position will be filled when Parliament re-opens.  Of the UDC MPs, three are from the BNF and five are from the BMD. BCP has seven MPs. Former BNF MP, Mephato Reatile remains the only independent legislator.