The party has been a beacon of stability for many ruling parties around the region and many could borrow from its record. However, we now know that the party has been seething under strain for a number of years, only able to keep itself from breaking asunder because of the opportunities connected with belonging to the party. Batswana were accustomed to having election rejects thrust upon them in the form of leaders in other sectors of our government. This kept those unhappy with the ruling party quiet and passive. However, that could not last forever and the liberal-minded have broken off to form the Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD). This should be an opportunity for the ruling party to critically self-introspect. That introspection should entail looking seriously at reforming itself and perhaps undertaking radical changes within the government itself. Every political movement, especially the one running with a new mandate, should see such a sudden dip in its political fortunes as an indication of a serious loss of faith in it. Therefore, often parties with a serious interest in keeping that trust intact would change to move with the times. It has taken time for the BDP to acknowledge that it is going through a crisis of sorts. A much earlier realisation would have helped, but of course that form of self-introspective ability takes a special leadership type, which may not exist within the current BDP. We thought the BDP was just about to reach a higher level of political maturity with recent reports that it had engaged in a round of self-introspection. But it turns out that the BDP is not really interested in taking this opportunity to seriously consider where it went wrong both as a party and as a government. The party has now decided that it would treat the current crisis simply as a public relations issue. Pelonomi Venson-Moitoi is reported to be leading this misled thought-track. The leaders of this theory seem to think that the BDP is nothing but a PR organisation. The BDP will be best advised to not follow this mindless escapade. The crises of the BDP are purely political and they cannot be solved by short-cut PR engagements. Those who regard the current crisis within the BDP as public relation failures have little political experience and limited appreciation for political realities. For every political party political problems cause public relations, not the other way round. The BDP needs to go back to inner-party democracy and the clique of yes-men and women at the heart of the current leadership need to be booted out. Outside the BDP government needs to address critical issues of governance such as public accountability and transparency. A radical programme to address this loss of faith in the government needs to be implemented. If a minister can continue to run a ministry while under investigation by an organ under the same ministry only smacks of arrogance and no amount of public relations would ameliorate that. This is the time for the BDP to wake up and deal with its crisis head-on and not engage in escapism.
Today's thought
"Every time I went away I was deceiving my mum. I'd tell her I was going to school but I'd be out on the street playing football. I always had a ball on my feet."
