Moupo, comrades and the 'fear of debate'

| Friday July 25, 2008 00:00

 

'What's wrong with debate comrades? Di-comrade di gana an intellectual debate...mmm? What's wrong with engaging in an intellectual debate comrades? Ha e le gore di-comrades di na le di-issue tse ba bonang di batla go buiwa' Comrade Dayz, as he is affectionately called, says more to himself than to anyone as he watches a mob at the gate of the giant tank-like architectural eyesore that is Debswana Hall.

He squints and stares at the crowd. A swirl of agitated young people threatens to break into the hall. The security officers push forward, faces pale with terror.

Placards hoisted high, voices rancorous, faces contorted in anger, the crowd at the gate shakes under the keen eye of a security man wielding a baton. Behind him there are other men, and behind them a number of faces jut watching the brewing mob.

The mob is small, smaller than the noise and the threat it appears to posses. Dayz watches the crowd with concern, part empathy, part curiosity. This is Sunday, the second day in the long weekend of the Botswana National Front's conference and the program is just kicking in.

Dayz shakes his head, and just then a round of applause emanates from inside the hall where another group of BNF members are having a conference. The second day of the BNF conference is just about to unfold after a day of tension.

The conference seems to be unfolding in two parallel proceedings; those within the hall who are part of the official program and those out here in the yard and the car park who seem to be holding yet another much more animated program. It seems those within are largely pro-Moupo and those outside seem to oppose Moupo and the validity of the official program. However, there are those outside who are simply members, denied access 'for security reasons' as the party would later point out. The group outside seems more in number or even equal to those inside. To someone new on the scene, it might seem as if the conference is yet to begin.

The troubles really began on Saturday. As the guests arrive in the diamond mining town the split manifests itself in the dealing, the demonstrations and the coagulations according to collective political interests.

At the gate, a number of delegates drive in for the customary registration. A number of the International Socialist Botswana members stand with placards. Police officers stand on two vans, their gazes spanning the expanse of the car park.

A table is set out, and posters line the fence condemning the recent suspension of the BNF's group member. 'Viva Democracy Viva', screams one, while another blasts, 'Down with suspensions down'.

As cars pass, Motsumi Marobela of the International Socialists stare at each. Sometimes an individual passes by and enters through the gate. Marobela yells, 'A re amogeleng debate comrades. Ga re kake ra tswelela ka di suspension'.

A young man with a scarf and a cap says his party does not accept the suspension. 'It was a surprise. We had been given a letter but we are going to the conference. We are lobbying BNF members to nullify the suspension. We think it's a top-down approach,' he says.

'Why were you suspended?'
He pauses and becomes wistful. 'I don't know. They say it was because of breaking the code of discipline. I think it is because of what we wrote in our recent newsletter that we think Moupo should step down as the president. We also said this should not be a conference but a congress so the comrade can fully account to the party. If the comrade says he is in the right, why can't he let the debate be held then?' he wonders, his gaze turning to yet another arriving member.

Suddenly a white sedan arrives, BNF publicity secretary, Moeti Mohwasa, at the wheel. Members run towards the sedan. They hold their placards and yell, 'Down with suspensions'. Mohwasa drives through, a wry smile on his face.

Cars gather around the park and more people file into the hall.
On this Saturday morning former secretary of political education, Dr Elmon Tafa, former secretary of international affairs, Dr Monageng Mogalakwe and former party secretary general, Akanyang Magama are out in the garden. Mogalakwe is trying very hard to gain entry into the hall. The security official cannot let him as he is not a delegate. He pleads with the BNF chairman and he is told that he can only be allowed in if he pays P50 to be allowed in as an observer.

After initiating an open debate on the suitability of the BNF president Tafa is marooned outside the conference hall. His debate is only fit to fill the copious pages of the newspapers and not the real BNF battlefield.

Having lost his documents including his BNF membership he is not allowed in the hall. Dejected that he cannot be allowed to take his revolutionary dossier against Moupo to the conference floor he chooses to share his views about Moupo with the BNF to other comrades who are not allowed into the hall anyway.

A small PUSO choir sings and marches along. It consists of largely young people. 'Dubsy atamela kwano ke go thipe, gore Moupo maloba o ne a go seba/ a re o botlhale/ ebile o a ikgantsha' the lead vocalist, an excited young woman in a blue blouse and a pair of jeans, blares. The small but noisy group sings along.

Mohammed Khan talks to a group of men. Clean-shaven, navy blue suit, tie and glasses he looks like a businessman out of place in this melee.
'Comrade, o fa?' says one man
'O suspendilwe'
The other man, smiles lost for a second.
'A mme?' he wonders more seriously.
'Ya. O suspendilwe comrade. They read your name kgantele'
More concerned. 'Senka Khan keene yo o ka itseng, kana Sengwaketse' urges the first man, laughing.

Just under another tree Gabriel Kanjabanga and Mogalakwe Mogalakwe are engaged in a debate under the watchful eye of BNF veteran David Mhiemang.
Mogalakwe contends that when last year he asked the leadership forum to urge Moupo to resign he was heckled. Mogalakwe urges Kanjabanga, who at the time defended Moupo, to acknowledge that he was wrong.
'I was wrong comrade, I now accept,' says Kanjabanga, while Mhiemang smiles like a dad proud of his son.

'But my argument now is that we should not just be excited about removing Moupo we should also be seriously considering who we want to succeed him,' Kanjabanga shoots back.
Mogalakwe nods, a wider smile on his face. People murmur their approval.
Just moments later a riot occurs at the gate. The crowd pushes forward while the guard pushes outwards. More members of the BNF inside the hall help the security officers push outwards. The gate shakes under the nearly exploding power of the crowd. A siege state unfolds, the crowd gets angrier.

As the crowd gets more and more pushy a few sip through the gate followed by more. The guard swings the baton, someone in the crowd swings a stick, now fists fly, and then another fists pokes from inside the gate outwards into the crowd. When it returns, the fist shows that it is holding a knife.
Blood gushes out, a young man holds a gash on his shoulder. For a moment the crowd freezes, 'O Tlhabile yo mongwe ka thipana?' a female voice laments.
And then the crowd goes insane. More pushing, more shoving, the door gets kicked furiously and a number of men hold a young lady who brays, 'O tlhabile kgaitsadiake ka thipa'.

Other people pull the shocked man away.
Inside half an hour later Moupo finishes his speech. 'It is incontestably true that our party cannot hope to be taken seriously by the electorate if it is not at peace with itself. I therefore call upon all comrades to exercise more tolerance and appreciate that they do not hold a monopoly of wisdom on any issue within the party and that no matter how strongly they feel about some issue, their views are not the only ones that matter in the party and are in fact vigorously contested by other party members' he says, to which the crowd claps and ululates.

And then his Vice President, Olebile Gaborone, says a few words to the crowd. He says there are people outside itching for a fight. He urges BNF members to deny those thirsty for blood their feast. The crowd goes sombre and nods.
Inside the hall, at the reception area, the ceiling hangs low, as if a hand held up could touch the lights above. Members walk about the constant din of conversation humming like bees. 'We will come back again tomorrow and protest this repression,' promises Marobela as the sun sets. The whole anti-Moupo plan seems to have faltered on the first day and some seem to have lost heart in the fight while others believe that tomorrow is another day.

There is talk that the anti-Moupo camp will draft a petition that will be submitted to conference. If that fails the saving grace will be commissions that will redirect the agenda of the conference by showing out-pouring disapproval of Moupo's captaincy of the BNF.
But on Sunday instead of the demonstrations a number of members are scattered around the yard talking in low voices. Groups of heated debates took every space available, under the trees, beside cars, on the lawn, everywhere.
Out at the car park, Marobela offers other members a petition to sign. Every now and then someone signs and walks away.

On Monday most of the anti-Moupo's group have since woken up to the reality that they have since been out-smarted by the Moupo.
'What do you do when you are up against fellows who do not even want debate. They handpicked their supporters as delegagtes,' mused one comrade dejectedly.
'nyaa mme le rona comrade we must accept that we have been out-smarted. We came here expecting that we will be allowed the floor to show why Moupo is not fit to lead the BNF but we did not do the spade-work. This was presumptive on our part. We thought everyone in the party is unhappy with Moupo yet there are people who benefit from his continued stay in power. These guys used the power of incumbency to cling to power,'
But David Mhiemang thinks 'this unconstitutional acts' will catch up with the central committee and he thinks it will be too late when the day of reckoning comes.
By Monday it is clear to all the fireworks that everybody expected will not happen.
The Moupo camp is all smiles.

Having thoroughly thrashed their opponents by mid morning they are now concerned with the external world other the few 'malcontents' at the conference. The Publicity Secretary convenes a press conference where they want to put the official spin on the events.
At the conference the BNF Political education secretary Baalakani Basiami declares to the media that the BNF is not a debating club and it will not debate the suitability of its president for ever.
'There ought to be a stop to this,' Basiami says at the press briefing.
By this time many might have gotten the message and the vigil that had been staged by the BNF dissenters outside has taken its toll. Some have returned to their bases, others who are brave enough to hang around are in their cars or under the trees licking their wounds.

At intervals jubilant supporters of Moupo emerge from the halls exchanging mischievous giggles and punching the air knowing that once again they managed to ward off ferocious marauding attacks from comrade enemies who wanted to embarrass their beloved comrade president.