We learn that the Minister of Presidential Affairs and Public Administration, Mme Lesego Motsumi, is planning to table a motion in this session of Parliament outlawing Members of Parliament and Councillors to change political colours while they retain their elective seats. This motion is long overdue. In fact, opposition MPs have tabled this motion before, and the BDP has always used its majority in Parliament to quash similar motions. In 1998, Former Thamaga Member of Parliament, Mme Gladys Kokorwe, had tabled the same motion and it was passed by Parliament, but due to lack of political will, particularly from the executive, a snowball of inertia killed the motion. It is interesting that this time around a member of the ruling party elite, also a senior minister, sponsors the motion. The are no prizes for guessing why the ruling BDP and government seem to be in a hurry to resuscitate a motion that had been gathering cobwebs in the government cabinets. In the past, when opposition parties complained about this practice, they were branded crybabies. The BDP used to benefit from the mass defections from the opposition parties and that explains why the ruling BDP has always been reluctant to stop floor crossing. Now, the shoe is on the other foot and the ruling party has to act differently and stop the bleeding.
Ever since the BDP has been rocked by internal instability and defections, mainly due to the Botswana Movement for Democracy, the party has been stung into action to correct even the deviant ways that have all-along sustained their stay in power. Conscious that they could lose more MPs in future, principally to the BMD and other opposition parties, the BDP now wants to protect its interests by bringing this motion. All democratic-loving people should accept this motion although many would want to question the warped intentions of those who are sponsoring it. There is no doubt that the motion is a desperate attempt at self-preservation and it is not motivated by any genuine attempt to democratise or reform our electoral laws. However, this should not detract us from seeing the motion as a gain for our democracy. Our democracy, needs this motion even if presently it appears to serve the interests of those sponsoring it. This is self-serving, but support the motion anyway. The current situation where MPs and councillors can at the drop of a hat decide to move from one party to another short-changes voters. If truth be told, it amounts to total disrespect for the voters and our electoral system. This provision has been a huge wart in our, otherwise, admirable electoral process. While MPs and councillors should be allowed the freedom to exercise their choice to move freely from one political party to another, this should not be at the expense of voters. If an MP or councillor wants to change his or her political home, they should first relinquish their seat and subject themselves to a fresh electoral test. This motion requires our support.
