A Botswana National Front (BNF) central committee member, Professor Motsumi Marobela, has quit the party leadership.
He laments in his detailed resignation letter the "poor leadership" which he accuses of ‘sleeping’ on the job. The BNF secretary for political education quit the party leadership last week ahead of the party’s annual conference that was held over the weekend in Gaborone. In his resignation letter, Marobela states that domestically, the BNF leadership has failed to expose and counteract corruption and mismanagement in the country. “I took it upon myself as secretary for political education to educate structures on these matters and tried to mobilise for public protests. We currently see how important these protests are when we look at Kenya. There was no support from the BNF leadership and activities were torpedoed in the last minute,” he states. Marobela further accused the Duma Boko-led BNF leadership of failure to step in the geopolitical arena and take a clear public stand and campaign against the ongoing genocide committed by lsrael and its accomplice, the USA, against Palestine. “I tried to mobilise activists for the two important Palestine demonstrations we had in Botswana. Again, there was no support from BNF leadership. If a party remains silent and insensitive in the face of glaring injustices and atrocities against Palestinian people, which are a reflection of the inhumanity, decay and barbarity of capitalism, then the party simply becomes irrelevant,” he wrote.
Marobela is also of the view that the party has lost touch with the working class. He says contrary to its aspirations as a progressive party that stands for worker’s rights, the BNF remains silent on the major socio-economic issues. Moreover, he said the BNF leadership has no concrete plan of intervention on organising and mobilising against exploitation of ordinary Batswana workers who are paid poverty wages and face harsh living conditions. He noted that the recent nationwide workers strike at Haskins Hardware stores had no support from the BNF structures and showed how the BNF liberalism has detached the party from the working class. “Even when the current government is going ahead with privatising public enterprises and retrenching workers on the eve of the elections, the BNF's voice remains muted and uncritical of the ruling party,” he stated. Marobela contested the BNF primaries for Gaborone Bonnington North constituency recently where he obtained 67 votes. The constituency was won by Maipelo Mophuting with 208 votes.
Former Gaborone mayor, Kagiso Thutlwe, who also recently left the BNF, trailed with 45 votes. Marobela stated that his candidacy was an eye-opening experience, which showed him the gross deficits of inner party democracy and how the BNF leadership has sold out to transactional politics. “Instead of allowing vetting as per the party electoral procedures, and letting candidates to express themselves by outlining their visions, goals, and plans upon which the constituents can choose the best candidate, I found myself being insulted at the Tonota BNF leadership forum. Then followed lies and intrigues fuelled by the BNF constituency leadership. Instead of responding to my letter requesting the party to follow the due process of electoral procedures and practice, the central committee ignored my appeal letter,” he lamented. He said he was not surprised because the central committee is no longer a transparent, fair-minded and a lively leadership structure. It has degenerated into a mere rubber-stamping entity, which blindly sanctions decisions coming from somewhere else, he added. “As a principled political activist with a long history and experience in struggling for the working class, the marginalised and oppressed both in Botswana and globally, I cannot be part of a party leadership which fails to adhere to the cardinal precepts of equality, justice and fails to provide a clear political alternative, which will shape the future of this country,” he states.
Marobela concluded that he remains a socialist cadre fighting for profound change in society and will maintain relations with grassroots BNF comrades who have expressed the willingness to map a new beginning.