If the Botswana Congress Party (BCP) were to have its way, by the end of this week it would have exited the coalition Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) as its relationship with the coalition led by Duma Boko has seemingly broken down irretrievably. Mmegi Staffer RYDER GABATHUSE looks deeper into the BCP/UDC quandaries
For a long time, the body languages communicated by Boko and his (now suspended) deputy Dumelang Saleshando was of two men in deep crisis at the helm of a party challenging to oust the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) from nearly 60 years in power.
The BDP has been ruling the country since the colonial era in 1966 and its challengers have been failing to mount a rock-solid contest 57 years later.
Last week, the BCP spokesperson, Dr Mpho Pheko said it all that they were leaving the UDC, “because the governance and constitutional grievances that led to the suspension of the BCP from the UDC have not been addressed even up to now.” The UDC sometime last year suspended BCP president Saleshando and secretary-general Goretetse Kekgonegile.
The BCP is insistent that it can only settle for like-minded organisations in terms of working alliance. At some stage, reports implied that the duo (Boko and Saleshando) was not in talking terms, until Saleshando broke the ice claiming ‘undemocratic’ tendencies by the UDC president whom he also claimed to be the worst leader who thrived on unilateralism, charges that the UDC leadership would later dismiss as unfounded and without substance. For starters, during the 2019 General Election, the UDC garnered 15 constituencies.
Out of these, the BCP candidates performed well in the constituencies the party was allocated as it won 11 out of 17, whilst its partner, the BNF was allocated 22 and garnered four seats and the Botswana Peoples Party (BPP), another partner returned empty handed out of five seats it was allocated. On another front, the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) scooped 38 seats whilst the new kid on the political block, the Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF) got three seats whilst the Alliance for Progressives (AP) got a single seat.
It became apparent during the past by-elections that all was not well between the BCP and the BNF in particular, so much that what was once considered the ‘people’s project’ was destined to fall apart. Signs were all over that the relationship was destined for rough times. In a recent interview, the UDC spokesperson, Moeti Mohwasa told Mmegi that the issues that the BCP is raising are being addressed and that the matter started before the party “suspended itself” from the UDC. But he did not respond to a set of questions sent to him by Monday this week.
The BNF, once a leading opposition party, was formed in 1965 amongst others to unite opposition forces with a view to rescuing the country from the BDP’s decades of ‘misrule’. But power has been eluding the party and its partners with coalition relationships hardly lasting any longer before they can break. It will not be the first time the BCP, which was formed in 1998 as a splinter from the BNF, breaks away from a political partnership with the BNF. But the BNF spokesperson, Justin Hunyepa was this week adamant that the BNF is still focused on its unity initiatives and remains so. “It is as constant as the northern star on uniting opposition parties.
It needs a lot of discipline from other political parties who are invited for a united front. Some of the leaders are power mongers who are ready to sabotage unity initiatives if they are not the ones leading,” Hunyepa told Mmegi this week. He noted that the BDP is also worried and very much concerned by a united front and therefore, sponsors some of these breakaways.
Powerful individuals, he said, are targeted and given some incentives and suddenly they just become difficult and speak in tongues, ultimately jumping ship. To him the BDP buying spree has been seen with several other well-known opposition MPs and activists who have been recruited and given Cabinet positions and other incentives. “The BCP reasons for leaving the UDC are just clumsy, suspect and unconvincing.
You complain of a constitution and you are given all the resources and support to change it; you do not take the advantage but storm out, and start complaining again.
That is why Batswana do not understand at all what the BCP really wants, except to reflect that they have a documented history of moving out every time opposition parties have an opportunity of changing government, having done this in 1999, 2014 and now 2024.” He observed that nothing has changed since the BCP joined the UDC.
The BCP president Saleshando, according to Hunyepa, was long given the responsibility to attend to the UDC constitution and assemble a team that would address all the governance issues they were concerned with, and which they are still raising today. According to Hunyepa, Saleshando was given a blank cheque for him to play with the UDC constitution as much as he wanted. But, unfortunately, “out of the blue, Saleshando led his team out of the UDC while the assignment was still on his lap.
He knows better why he has not delivered the constitution of his choice, which was to address and answer to all the governance issues.” Hunyepa indicated that the UDC never had two vice presidents, but when the BCP came, the transitional clause in the UDC constitution was used to give him what he wanted. “So, these examples are just enough to demonstrate the BNF and other alliance partners’ commitment to have an umbrella party and to keep all parties within,” he emphasised.
He insisted that the BNF has not deviated from its belief in opposition unity. He said that is why it gave away its winnable constituencies and wards to other alliance partners so that it cements the unity relationship. But it could not stop the BCP from walking away from the UDC unprovoked, “infact with all the aces up their sleeve of changing the constitution and making it as democratic as it could be as per their democracy definition. The BNF believes in opposition unity so much and its gospel is well understood by the majority of Batswana.
The confidence Batswana have shown in UDC is so remarkable.” Hunyepa oozed confidence that with all these reasons, the UDC was going to win from the BDP the Bosele and Grootlaagte wards in the forthcoming by-elections and the BCP-AP alliance, he said will be rejected again. Political commentator, the University of Botswana (UB) politics and administrative studies lecturer, Adam Mfundisi, acknowledges that, “the relationship between the BCP and the UDC led by the BNF and Boko has broken down irredeemably.” He concedes that there has been bad blood between the BCP of the UDC and BNF of the UDC. “These two parties have been the backbone of the UDC in the past general election. The feud that led to the breakdown of the BNF in the 1990s has never been resolved.
Factional politics that led to the formation of the BCP in 1998 continued after the BCP joined the UDC prior to the 2019 general polls.” He noted that there have been allegations of ' big brother' behaviour in the UDC perpetuated by the BNF within the UDC. “The invisibility and dominance of the BNF were exposed in the 2019 General Election.
The BNF lost terribly in constituencies it was allocated including that of its leader Boko. The BDP vanquished the UDC in the capital city Gaborone as well as other constituencies in the southern part of Botswana,” noted the UB academic. He added that the BNF, since its inception, has been dominant in the southern part of the country, notably Ngwaketse area. In the 2014 General Election, the BNF performed sterling in the capital city and its environs. That was reversed in the 2019 General Election.
The last polls exposed the vulnerability of the BNF and its leadership. On the other hand, the BCP performed superbly in most constituencies it was allocated to contest. These were mostly in the northern part of the country where the BDP has over many decades been dominant. The newly formed BPF did damage to the credibility of the BDP in its hitherto strongholds of Serowe and its environs.
The BDP was nearly vanquished in the northern part of Botswana. Put aside, the allegations of electoral fraud and rigging, the general performance of the BNF of the UDC was below expectations. Mfundisi is steadfast that the 2019 General Election results for the UDC partly contributed to the political fracas we witness today and added: “The dominance of the BNF was questioned and the BCP wanted to be recognised as a formidable force within the coalition. Without the leader of the BNF and the UDC in Parliament, the BNF became vulnerable. The sterling performance of Saleshando as Leader of Opposition (LoO) in Parliament irked some BNF supporters and members.” Analysing the development of differences in the UDC Mfundisi noted: “The late Mompati Merafhe (MHSRIP) would have said ‘Dums (referring to Saleshando) stole the limelight' from Boko.” He added that the BCP challenge of the existing UDC constitution was viewed as a challenge to the UDC leadership dominated by the BNF functionaries. The call for the transformation of the UDC through constitutional reforms in order to usher in democratic ideals and principles, he said, were viewed as a revolt to the BNF leadership of the UDC. The BCP through different avenues agitated for the democratisation of the UDC through elective processes. “The whole political battles are caused by lack of effective leadership of the UDC. Strategic leadership is essential in coalition politics due to the complexities and dynamics in it,” Mfundisi said. He added that the good, the bad and the ugly of autocratic leadership are reflected in the UDC.
“This dark side of leadership negatively affects the UDC stability and sustainability. Political narcissism is rampant in Botswana driven by self-admiration and self-aggrandisement. Opposition politics have been afflicted by this problem for many years and it has come to destroy it.” He conceded that even as it was bolting out of the UDC, the BCP has benefited somewhat from the UDC, as the coalition had become a brand in both the 2014 and 2019 General Elections. He observed: “But the UDC brand has been waning overtime due to instability and conflict within the coalition of political parties. Currently, the UDC is no longer glittering as in the past.
Lack of intra, inner, and inter-party democracy within the UDC is causing problems for the coalition and is leading to its downfall. Without the BCP, the UDC will be irreparably weakened.” As it stands, Mfundisi is of the view that the two parties, the BCP and BNF, are the vanguard of the UDC and the absence of either political party downgrades the UDC. “The BCP does not want to be disassociated with the leadership woes facing the UDC.
According to its articulations, it calls for a democratic coalition of political parties anchored on constitutionalism, democracy, ethics, accountability, and transparency. It wants to join forces with like-minded political parties such as the AP and recently break-away party from the BNF, the Botswana Labour Party (BLP),” he said.
