Baaitse will be eyeing the Tswapong North constituency. He was initially named on the BPF’s list of aspiring candidates for the party’s primary elections but has since opted for the UDC because he believes the latter stands a better chance for removing the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) from power.
“There is no political party in Botswana that can win state power outside the UDC. The opposition as it is currently divided cannot remove the BDP from power. The UDC is the only platform that offers the opposition the best opportunity to remove the BDP from power hence my decision to contest the elections under the banner of the UDC,” Baaitse said in an interview with Mmegi.
Baaitse further stated that his decision to contest the elections under the banner of the UDC was partly influenced by the BPF’s constitution which gives BPF president Mephato Reatile the powers to take solo decisions on behalf of the party. According to Baaitse, the decision of the BPF to contest the polls outside the UDC was a solo one that was taken by its president, Reatile.
Baaitse also stated that the decision by the BPF to contest the elections outside the UDC is contrary to the resolution that was adopted by the party. “You cannot allow one person to take all major decisions on behalf of the party. If that is allowed to happen, that is when dictatorship takes root,” said an unhappy Baaitse.
Reatile, the Jwaneng-Mabutsane legislator, recently revealed that his decision to take BPF out of the from the UDC did not go down well with some BPF National Executive Committee (NEC) members. “Some BPF members were threatening to leave the party while others wanted to contest as independent candidates since the UDC affiliates were not cooperative with them especially for ward allocation where they agreed ratio of 60% to 40% was not used. As the president, I was forced to act so that the party does not collapse,” he explained. Reatile also said he was using the BPF constitution clause article 20.6.4, which gives him the power to take certain decisions in the interest of the party during emergency times. The BPF left the UDC, a coalition of the Botswana National Front (BNF), Botswana People’s Party (BPP) and Alliance of Progressives (AP).
The BPF ditched the UDC amidst differences over the form of partnership the UDC should take. The BPF favours the PACT model while the UDC holds the view that the loose coalition that is currently used by its contracting parties has served it very well and therefore there is no need for it to be changed.
Reatile further revealed that the constitution gives him the powers pending the review of the congress, which he failed to specify whether it would be held with five months left before the general election. On other issues, the BPF president said in some areas where UDC and BPF do not agree, both parties will contest against each other as it happened in the 2019 General Election. He said the PACT model had been used before and, therefore, he believes it is suitable even now as it would help to operate freely. Efforts to salvage a win-win situation between the BPF and the UDC have not borne any tangible fruits which led to the current standoff between the two.
