Worried about the factional backlash inside his party, Botswana National Front President Otsweletse Moupo is working round the clock to lure back into the party some of the disaffected members that supported the now vanquished Letshabo faction that contested against him prior to the last party congress in Molepolole.
This comes in the wake of fresh inside information circulating within the party indicating that unless there is a fast healing of wounds BNF could well be on its way to losing its traditional heartland constituencies including in Gaborone.
Moupo himself is a Member of Parliament for Gaborone West North and ground activists have already told him they are worried about his future as member for that constituency in the coming General Elections.
The BNF Executive has lately been holding secret talks with some leading members of the Letshabo faction to assure them they are not targets of any covert purging exercise.
“No one will be punished for their views prior to the congress. The primaries will be held in our traditional openness and the outcome of the primaries should not be linked to the congress,” he said.
He stressed that those who make it in the primaries will represent the party while the losers will be expected to rally behind the winners.
Speaking on Friday, Moupo also said his party will also be going back to its traditional core beliefs.
He said the party has to take sides with the people against school fees, privatization and other such concepts introduced by government that work against the poor.
The BNF President also talked about the electoral system, saying the current “winner takes all” is unfair.
To illustrate his point he said in the last elections the ruling BDP could only capture 52 percent of the popular vote yet their representation in parliament has sprung to 77 percent.
On air Botswana privatization, he said his party celebrated the failure of the transaction, but said he remains worried because there are undercurrents that such a failure could only be temporary with government still exploring new ways to get rid of the national carrier.
He said from the onset BNF was concerned about stories surrounding fake bidding in the buildup to attempt to privatize Air Botswana.
On concerted efforts by the BDP to take over urban constituencies from the opposition as per Vice President Ian Khama’s instructions, Moupo said it is a fallacy.
“They attempted that in the past. If they try to take our constituencies we will take theirs,” he said.
