Masisi was unambiguous that the ruling party may be shedding off disloyal and unsavoury characters.
“People should not be shocked when certain people are vetted out of contesting the primaries as the party wants to ensure that their candidates are upstanding and loyal democrats,” Masisi said at the star rally recently.
This is not the first time the party president raised the issue of the quality of candidates as he said last year in Shoshong when officially welcoming Member of Parliament Aubrey Lesaso to the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), that they should vote for people with the ability and skills to become Ministers.
Even before the 2019 General Election, Masisi hinted he would struggle to find Cabinet Ministers from the BDP candidates then chosen through the primaries. Though his statement previously attracted criticism from within the party and outside, the BDP president did not shy away from making clear the kind of quality he wanted from the Members of Parliament.
He emphasised that he wants candidates who understand and can debate issues in Parliament and laws effectively. University of Botswana (UB) political scientist, Dr Sethunya Mosime, holds the view that Masisi was telling the truth that the country needs credible legislatures with the ability to make and debate laws of the nation. She noted that in the past the BDP would elect just anybody into office without questioning their ability to serve. “Every party or organisation is entitled to make its criteria that it will use to select candidates whom they can represent.
Democracy has guidelines and it is broad hence political parties have a constitution,” Mosime said in an interview. “Of course, some processes are undemocratic but for an organisation or party to operate effectively, it should have guidelines and regulations. This process would help the party even to have discipline or prepare someone to behave in a certain manner when they want to contest,” she added.
The analyst further said vetting is also a contagious process, therefore it cuts across all parties. Furthermore, the analyst said the BDP should have clear rules and regulations on people defecting from all parties as it will be unfair to those who once defected and later re-joined as they would not be allowed to contest.
She said if some of the people had applied for expression of interest for the party primaries then that is how they get the feedback, then they would feel that they were not openly welcome back. Furthermore, she said if there is a clear policy or regulation it should be respected. Mosime also said even if the party had made a progressive move on that, some members might feel that it is undemocratic and they might feel aggrieved and leave the party. She added that it is not clear whether those who are joining the BDP after defected from opposition parties would be allowed to contribute towards development of the party or not.
She said this is political transfer window adding there is no party that would not want to be seen to be welcoming new members. Again, the analyst said there is a possibility that the same strategy that BDP has used to vet out people may backfire as other people may seek new political homes at opposition parties. She said the BDP should be ready as well on consequences that it might face due to its action and how it would deal with it so that it does not contribute to party instability. Mosime said there is a possibility that primary elections within the BDP might bring a shake up of some kind.
