Almost everybody talks about opposition cooperation, it is the most widely used expression to date. All opposition parties talk about it, ordinary citizens seem to demand it now more than ever before. The demand for opposition cooperation has become deafening after the two major political parties came from their elective congresses over the President holidays. In the midst of the clamour for opposition cooperation we all know from experience that opposition parties have several times in the past failed to unite for a common purpose. What makes people think that this time around the opposition parties will see things differently and come together for a common goal? It is not difficult to see that there is widespread concern to deepen and grow our democratic gains. A fragmented opposition is a huge deficit on any democracy and it is increasingly becoming desperate for Botswana. It would appear that opposition parties are now more than ever before under compulsive pressure to work together as a unit and enrich our democracy by becoming a powerful political voice that could agitate for pressing national issues other than the current situation other voices are crowded out. Democracy is this nation's heritage and we do not want to lose it even on the altar of political selfishness. Much as we condemn political parties for their failures to work together as a unit, we are very much alive to some isolated incidents in which opposition parties have come together for a common goal. Otsweletse Moupo was elected as a member of parliament during the Gaborone West North by-election by a combined effort of the opposition parties. Just recently Botswana Congress Party merged with Botswana Alliance Movement before that they merged with the New Democratic Front. We can never forget the pioneering effort of the Botswana Independence Party and Bosele Action Party that eventually resulted into the Botswana Alliance Movement. While there have been many failures, particularly involving bigger players, the above are lessons that demonstrate that cooperation between opposition parties is possible. Unlike in other places where ideological differences have been major stumbling blocks, amongst Botswana political parties there are no major ideological differences with many of the differences being political nuance and idiosyncracies. The biggest hurdle to opposition cooperation has always been sheer greed and over-inflated egos that have nothing to do with this national project. Politicians being selfish individuals, they will always cling to their council seats, parliamentary ambitions and central committee positions. The good thing, however, is that a lot of these political parties have been humbled. The BNF cannot claim to be the biggest opposition party, the BCP cannot claim to be the fastest growing party and the BMD cannot claim to have any concrete constituency of their own other than that they have MPs. This reality should force these parties to swallow their pride and realise that their over-inflated egos will only serve to dismember Botswana's democracy. Batswana should tell opposition parties to grow up and smell the coffee. As individuals they are worthless, as a collective they are an unstoppable force.
Today's thought
