I have written, and will continue to write extensively on the leadership of the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) and that is by no mistake.
I am not apologetic about it. It is a deliberate move. I don’t promise cease-ink anytime soon. For as long as the BDP remains in power, they remain my focal point of scrutiny. As the ruling party, whatever decision the party leadership pursue, I stand to be affected as a citizen.
When the ruling party, as the Americans would say, f**ks up, the entire nation gets f**ked up. When the ruling party comes up with something good, I become grateful. By virtue of being the ruling party, the BDP remains relevant to our discourse as analysts, opinionists and, indeed, every Jack and Jill in possession of the national identity card (Omang). Our welfare, as a nation, rests entirely on the shoulders of the BDP-led government.
I have, in the past, penned articles that peeped through the leadership of not only the ruling party but opposition parties too. The brunt of my pen has reached the Botswana Congress Party (BCP) and the Botswana National Front (BNF). I have even had the guts to poke my nose in their internal leadership elections. I have even endorsed candidates during their internal elections and I am not apologetic about it.
Those who have been following me as I hit hard on the ruling party and other opposition parties have accused me of having a soft spot for the Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD).
They say I never fail to pick fault in other parties. They accuse me of displaying allegiance to the BMD.
I always listen to their accusations and grievances and have come to realise they do not comprehend a lot of things in life. I write about relevant issues. When it comes to politics, I write about people who have stood before people and asked to be elected into positions of power.
When I write, I do so not to impress anyone. I do so not to please anyone. I don’t critique to prove my allegiance. I don’t castigate to demean or degrade anyone. When I write about anyone in position of power, it is only because I acknowledge the integral part of their existence in the welfare of my beautiful nation. My beautiful Botswana which, as far as I’m concerned, belongs to all of us and not a few elites.
I am glad to report that I attended the inaugural congress of the Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD) over the weekend at the St Joseph’s College in the outskirts of the pretty little city, Gaborone.
The congress ushered in the new leadership of the BMD. All the people who have been chosen to steer the BMD forward were not forced into their positions. They do not hold their positions through compromise dispensation.
They pledged their availability and were duly nominated and voted for. The reason I have not been keeping a very keen eye on the leadership of the interim leadership of the BMD is that they were mere volunteers. They were not democratically elected into those positions and, as such, it has been difficult for me to say, gentlemen and ladies, you asked to be given the chance to lead the party but are now failing or succeeding.
I am glad the moment I have been dying for has finally arrived. Trust me, I will give credit where it’s due as I continue to monitor the just ushered in leadership. Believe me, I will not spare them the wrath of my pen whenever I observe some derailment on their leadership. Just as I feel the BDP’s Mokwgeetsi Masisi has become an arrogant puppet of Ian Khama, I will not shy away from writing about it when Botsalo Ntuane chooses to become Gomolemo Motswaledi’s ‘yes sir’ buffoon. The reason I have never found any opportunity to hit at the likes of Motswaledi and Ntuane is that they seem to think just like me. I have never found any traces of stupidity in their line of thinking and reasoning and, as such, I do not understand how and why people expected me to critique Siamese brains, mine and theirs. I believe they possess great minds and I believe great minds think alike. My deliberation would turn out contradictive and this is why I will never criticize the BMD leaders just to please other people. I promise to criticize them when I can justify my criticism.
That said, I need to give the BMD leadership my advice on the way forward after their successful congress. I observed that many positions were not contested by more than two people. That is, most of the nominees stood unopposed. I want to believe this goes to prove the party is not full of dangerously ambitious people who go ahead and stand for positions of power even where it is clear they stand no chance of getting the nod from the delegates. Even as I have a feeling that some people stood for elections in positions that were clearly cut out for other people, I will die defending their bravery to stand for elections and exercise their democratic right. Though they have not succeeded in being granted the mandate to lead the party, their candidature has enhanced the much preached about democracy at the BMD.
I was disappointed that a lot of BMD members criticized Sidney Pilane for standing against Gomolemo Motswaledi for the position of party president. What many fail to comprehend is, by standing against Motswaledi, Pilane’s loss gives more legitimacy to Motswaledi’s win and vote of confidence. Motswaledi can stand tall with his head up and say, BMD members prefer me. If asked preferred against who, Motswaledi will say Pilane. This would be unlike in the case of a compromise where Motswaledi would have had no one to compare his strength and popularity against.
I have been following BDP elections and have observed the trend where people get rejected by the delegates at the congress but still find their way into the central committee through special nomination. The BMD claims to be the epitome of democracy and, as such, I expect them to walk the talk. I would advise the BMD to stay away from the undemocratic and almost fraudulent means of imposing rejected candidates on the electorates. Those who have been rejected by the delegates should not be co-opted into the National Executive Committee. Otherwise it would prove pointless to have had elections in the first place. I expect the BMD NEC to co-opt people who possess capabilities otherwise lacking in the elected NEC.
