Just when everyone was beginning to believe that Botswana National Front and its offshoot, the Botswana Congress Party, could put behind them the differences that broke them asunder in the first place, a council ward by-election in Shashe Mooke threatens to crumble the peace edifice that had just started to hold up.
Under the gentleman’s agreement reached between opposition parties, the one that performed best at the immediate past general election gets first preference in case of a by-election.
But at Shashe Mooke, a complication occurred in that during the 2009 General Elections, there was an independent candidate, Odirile Ngenda, who has since joined the Botswana National Front.
Ngenda came second after the Botswana Democratic Party, but well ahead of Botswana Peoples Party, which came third after him.
Botswana Peoples Party has come out to say that under the gentleman’s agreement as enshrined in the Memorandum of Understanding, an independent candidate, such was Ngenda in the last general elections, should not be recognized.
BPP says the agreement is between parties and not individuals, and as such does not apply to Ngenda. Under the BPP scheme of things, the coming by-election should be left to them to contest without distractions from other opposition parties.
In this view, the BPP enjoys the resolute backing of the Botswana Congress Party who have since endorsed them a decision that puts them on a collision course with the BNF.
“As BCP we do not deal with individual candidates, we only deal with parties. Although Ngenda performed better than all of us in 2009 he did so as an independent and, as such, the gentleman’s agreement that we have as political parties does not apply to him,” said Kesitlegile Gobotswang, the BCP Secretary General.
But buoyed by the prospect of victory on the coattails of a popular Ngenda, the Botswana National Front holds strongly that their man should be left unmarked to become the public face of a united opposition brigade at the oncoming Shashe Mooke by-election.
“The party [BNF] will be contesting the by-election and the party candidate, Cde Odirile Ngenda, will be launched by the party president, Cde Duma Boko on the 5th February in Shashe Mooke. Cde Ngenda, who stood under the BDP ticket, got the second highest number of votes after the winner in the general elections. It was after the general elections that he joined the BNF,” says the party spokesperson, Moeti Mohwasa.
Clearly trying to preempt any trouble with other opposition parties, most especially the BPP and their BCP backers, the BNF man adds: “It has to be stated that the BNF does not have any problem with any other party contesting or supporting a different opposition from us in the by-elections since there is no formal agreement between the parties regarding by-elections. What matters is the interests and conscience of the parties just like we supported the BCP in Tonota North when there was no agreement between us and them.”
Dr. Gobotswang concedes that, technicalities aside, it does not look right that opposition parties are unable to present themselves as a united force even on such small scale contests like a council ward by-election.
With references of “complications and controversies”, Dr. Gobotswang, like Mohwasa, says it is important to remember that for now there is no agreement.
“But we cannot blame the BNF.”
With Shashe Mooke proving a hot potato, it will be interesting to see whether or not opposition will be able to unite their forces at Selibe-Phikwe, when Ikageleng Phase I also goes to elect a councilor in a by-election.
So far, the BCP has declared their interest to stand but the silence from other parties is ominous.
“We have written all the parties asking for support. As far as I can recall nobody has replied us,” said Gobotswang.
