“Saule, Saule o mpogisetsang” (Saul, Saul why are you persecuting me), so goes the lyrics from a song by gospel group Macecilia a St Paul. This is the song that will forever be perched in the minds of some of us who were there, and were even instrumental in the formation of the Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD). I remember how six years ago, 2010, I had declared in this space that the BDP factions had reached a fok-fok stage. Through this column, I encouraged the Barata-Phathi faction to leave Ian Khama’s BDP and form a break away party. And they did. At a meeting that was held at Mogoditshane’s Big Five Lodge, the faction unanimously agreed to form a new political organisation. The goodwill from the nation was overwhelming. Those who could no longer stand the persecution from the BDP leadership found a safe haven in the BMD.
The BMD became an instant hit. The BMD became the Justin Bieber of Botswana among the youth. The orange brigade became fashionable to be associated with. BMD was the in-thing. It was the real thing. I remember when one day at a fully packed BMD rally, Botsalo Ntuane, who was then one of the leaders in the party, expressed to me how overwhelmed he was at the support the BMD was receiving from the public. He even joked that we should disperse the masses and tell them that “we were just joking” by coming up with the idea of a new party. Batswana had embraced the BMD. The BMD was the nation’s gateway to the Promised Land. The BMD was the nation’s transition to Canaan. The party showed all signs of an alternative, democratically vibrant government. A lot of prestige and pride came with being associated with the BMD. The leaders had swag.
They spoke the right language and appealed to the people who matter the most in the economy of the country, the middle class. Finally the middle class found a political party that spoke to their needs. There was great respect among the leaders and all the way down to the busybodies. That was the BMD I had helped found. I have to confess though that I have long ceased to be active in the BMD and as such I am completely in the dark as to what the party looks like today. I was only asked during its formative days to be part of the youth that was tasked with establishing the party’s youth league on interim basis. I stopped my activism immediately the elected members took over. Ever since, and it must be well over four years now, I have not bothered to take interest in what goes on at the Democracy House, the name we had given to the BMD’s head office to go with Tsholetsa House (BDP) and Kopano House (BNF). As such, I’m not privy to the goings-on in the BMD. I don’t know who stands where in the BMD’s power struggles. The information I have is the same as the one every newspaper reader and radio listener has.
Through the media, I gather there is no peace at the BMD. I hear there are two warring factions at the BMD. I sit here in fear and trepidation that the party I mid-wifed is in the ICU. I fought battles and in the process stepped on the toes of the country’s leadership in my effort to convince the nation why the BMD needed to be conceived. It was through the BMD that I made a lot of political friends. It pains me to now learn there is no peace at the BMD. I hear the party is split between the supporters of Ndaba Gaolathe and Sidney Pilane. I read about it in the newspapers. I hear about it in the streets and on the radio. I am constrained to even make sense out of it because of my detachment from the BMD business.
I have been spending too much time barking at the BDP because they are in power and thought I should ignore opposition parties such as the BMD because I was convinced their time to be grilled would come in 2019. How sad to now learn they are busy fighting among themselves and might never even get into my grill, for my grill cooks best when it is the ruling party on the menu. It is deliberate that I often ignore opposition parties and concentrate on the ruling party because the ruling party makes decisions that affect us now while the opposition only makes promises that are still to be realised. I was waiting for them. I have no regrets about the formation of the BMD. In fact, I still sympathise and identify with the BMD and all other opposition parties because I yearn for change. It saddens me to see the party that brought us hope being engulfed in wars that seem to border more on personal egos and not principle or ideology. Like I mentioned earlier, I am constrained to take sides or form an opinion on the alleged bickering between Gaolathe and Pilane’s factions because I am not well informed. Luckily, both Gaolathe and Pilane are my brothers who always welcome me to their homes and offices. As such, I will make time to visit each one of them and listen to their sides of the story and maybe thereafter I will be in a good position to know who between them is a spoiler. In the meantime I just wish cool heads could prevail and peace be restored at the beloved BMD, my beloved BMD.
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