The Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) spokesperson Moeti Mohwasa has likened the Botswana Congress Party (BCP)’s “behaviour” to that of the Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD).
Moeti said in a statement this past weekend that the BMD’s behaviour that led to the party’s expulsion from the UDC was no different from that of the BCP currently.
Moeti issued a press statement in his capacity as the coalition spokesperson in response to a newspaper article quoting the BCP publicity secretary Dr. Mpho Pheko.
“It is not true that the AP and the BMD joined and left the UDC because of Cde Duma Boko. When many called for the expulsion of the BMD at the Boipuso Hall Conference, it was Cde Boko who advised against it, emphasizing the need to avoid a split. Unfortunately, ultimately the BMD was expelled because the feeling was that its behaviour was becoming deleterious and compromising the UDC brand. The BCP was part of the decision to expel the BMD through its deployees in the UDC NEC.”
He says in the build up to the BMD Bobonong Congress its warring factions alleged the involvement of a third force. “They mentioned the BDP, the BCP and the DISS. Neither the UDC nor its other leaders were ever mentioned. Contrary to what Mma Pheko asserts, the AP has never been a member of the UDC”.
He says the newspaper article, titled ”Kgosidintsi’s Bombshell” carries distortions attributable to the BCP’s Pheko which the UDC found it fitting to respond to. He accuses Pheko of seeking to confuse the nation and portray the UDC and its leader Duma Boko negatively by saying that the issues around governance, constitution and rule of law that the BCP raised have not been addressed and that there is dictatorship in the opposition coalition.
“That the BMD and AP have joined and left the UDC because of what she prefers to call ‘constant and ever present factors’, this is just a pretext to justify the BCP’s moonlighting attitude of choosing when to be a member or not depending on when it suits them. The NEC resolved during the last quarter of 2020 to review the constitution and the assignment to oversee the process was given to Cde [Dumelang] Saleshando, the BCP president.”
Mohwasa says the issues of governance, democracy and others that Pheko referred to could be addressed through the same process. To encourage inclusivity, Mohwasa says, it was further agreed that all those who wanted to join the UDC project be given the opportunity to share their thoughts and participate in the constitutional review process. “Regrettably, beyond the usual public accusations, the BCP has not up to now submitted any constitutional amendments to address these concerns. Instead the BCP has resorted to publicly attack and label the UDC, its affiliates and the rest of the leadership.”
| He says the UDC wants to put it on record that it has no wish to go into a mudslinging contest with any of the opposition political parties. “Where we differ with another political party we will do so with humility and respect. Whatever differences we have are nothing compared to the challenges that our people are faced with under the BDP government.” He says the UDC as the people’s hope and project remains open for engagement to effect regime change. “Cde Boko, Cde [Motlatsi] Molapise and the leadership collective of the UDC have consistently since 2011, fought hard to unite the opposition. We are responding to our people who are ravenous and famished for change of government.” |
