Sunday, February 16, 2025

It would be a shame if BMD purged Pilane

“I have left active politics. I don’t have the stomach for it”. Those words are attributed to Sidney Pilane in response to a question posed to him by the Voice newspaper (Friday January 20,2012). The newspaper wanted to find out what he has been up to and whether he has been banished into the political wilderness forever or not.

Even though he is further reported to have declared that he remains a staunch BMD member despite all the challenges, Pilane’s earlier words paint a picture of a man who is disillusioned and defeated. The BMD should be worried when a man of Pilane’s calibre appears worried and disappointed. The BMD should be worried when a man of Pilane’s stature surrenders on the basis of not having the stomach for politics because next he may lose the heart to remain a staunch member of the party.

There have been reports of bad blood between Pilane and the BMD President Gomolemo Motswaledi in the build up to the party congress where the party leadership was elected. If I remember well, both Motswaledi and Pilane downplayed the differences that reportedly existed between them. They said the differences were exaggerated and blown out of proportion. Rumours were also rife that Pilane did not see eye to eye with the BMD’s deputy president Botsalo Ntuane. Perceived or real, the shenanigans pose danger to a party such as the BMD which is relatively still in its infancy stage.

Look, I have unequivocal access to Pilane, Motswaledi and Ntuane. If I wanted, I could have breakfast with Pilane, lunch with Motswaledi and dinner with Ntuane where I would be able to engage them on their ‘beef’. The only reason I’m addressing them through my column is to show that I treat them just like all the other politicians I have previously engaged publicly. I have been blamed for handling the BMD leadership with kid gloves. I have always made it clear that I will not spare them my ‘blows’ when they display unbecoming behavior. My unctuousness was never a result of blind following. No, I don’t owe anyone of them personal allegiance. I praise and support them when I feel they deserve it and I will not hesitate to criticize them when I feel they deserve a rap on the knuckles. Infact these are the people I should feel free to criticize because they formed the BMD as they felt the BDP no longer accepted criticism and divergent views. Unlike the BCP who are now threatening to ‘sort me out’, with some promising to get physical just because I criticized their president, I expect my brothers at the BMD to lead by example and stomach criticism.

Okay, back to Pilane. This is no ordinary member of the BMD. He numbers among the founders of the BMD. He was the party’s inaugural official spokesperson who did a sterling job justifying its formation. He successfully sold it to the masses and defended it from attacks by skeptics. He was instrumental in developing and coming up with the party constitution. I am also told he sacrificed his office equipment and professional services when the party was in its formation stages. Pilane is counted among the people who made substantial financial contributions to the BMD. Clearly Pilane has contributed immensely to the BMD and it would be very thankless and indeed stupid of the BMD to stick out the middle finger at him after all that he has done for the party.

I refuse to believe the animosity (alleged) between Motswaledi and Pilane derives from the latter’s insistence to challenge the former for the party presidency. Motswaledi should be the last person to ‘hate’ anyone who challenges him or offers divergent views to his. Afterall, Motswaledi owes his public endearment and respect from his protracted battle with Ian Khama who is known to abhor divergent views. Motswaledi went to the courts of law because he felt Ian Khama was all out to destroy him for being in the opposing camp. I therefore shudder to think Motswaledi could be all out to do to Pilane what he accused Khama of doing to him. I am of the feeling Motswaledi should be happy that Pilane stood against him at the presidential elections because if anything, Pilane’s participation legitimized Motswaledi’s ascendance to the presidency. Unlike if Motswaledi had stood unopposed, the man can now stand up and proudly claim popularity amongst the party supporters. He can rightfully say his popularity has been tested and proved.

Like I said, I deliberately ignored the privilege to interrogate the concerned gentlemen over their fallout. Some rumour had it Pilane wanted to treat Motswaledi like his puppet after he assisted him in his high profile case against Khama and Motswaledi is said to have refused Pilane’s dandle. Some say while Pilane and Ntuane always agreed on the importance of the umbrella, Ntuane had issues with Pilane’s approach to other party issues. It is said that Pilane is a rigid constitutionalist who more often irked Ntuane with his endless references to the constitution whenever the stakes were against him.

That said, I still find no excuse good enough to justify irreconcilable differences between Pilane and the current BMD leaders. In all fairness, Pilane displayed a great deal of maturity after losing to Motswaledi as he immediately pledged his support to both Motswaledi and the party. Even when umbrella attacks started playing out in the media, Pilane always penned articles that called for a cease fire. Pilane has always maintained that for him it is Botswana first and individuals later. I have no reason to doubt his sincerity because he has never shown any signs of someone who puts personal gratification ahead of his nation. Motswaledi should be very careful and try to avert disillusionment in the party because a party like the BMD which was founded mostly by disgruntled members cannot afford to lose its members due to the same reasons that had it formed:

disgruntlement. I know of other people who have since left the BMD and even though most of them are just ‘nobodies’ who cannot even tell you a single plausible reason that led to them leaving the BDP in the first place, defections by anybody even if it’s a nobody should have Motswaledi and the BMD worried. I therefore hope this piece will motivate Motswaledi to preach some rapprochement and consanguinity that existed among the members when the party was formed.

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