The upcoming Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) primary elections look set to expose the ruling party in many fronts. The election, or is it the selection of candidates, will not only unmask government officials who were all along underground activists of the party but will go further to reveal the quality of representatives that the party has lined up for the general elections which are to be held next year, hopefully.
Already, the Gaborone Central constituency is exposing the brain drain within the BDP. It is quite clear no one in the BDP is ready or confident enough to come forth and represent the BDP. Not even the hopeless daredevils of the BDP are willing to put their heads on the block. Not even the dangerously ambitious members of the BDP are willing to try their luck at Gaborone Central.
A week before the closing date for submission of names, there is still no confirmation on who has applied for the primary elections in the BDP for the Gaborone Central constituency. Well, this was to be expected when one considers the current crop of BDP political office aspirants. A lot of them do not meet even the minimum requirement for a desirable candidate for a constituency like Gaborone Central. Look, Gaborone Central is not like other constituencies such as those in the Central District where ‘anything’ can be appointed as BDP candidate and still sail through at elections.
A prominent figure in the ruling BDP once opined that people scramble to represent the BDP at elections not necessarily because they love the party or believe in its policies but only because it is very easy to win elections on a BDP ticket. This person went further to suggest that even if a donkey was to be draped in BDP colours and brought forward as a candidate for the BDP, it would win the elections.
We all know what that person meant. The message was, you do not necessarily need to be smart upstairs to represent the BDP and win elections. You can be as dumb as a donkey and still win elections because more often, Batswana care more about voting for the BDP and care less about who represents the BDP.
And before you eat me alive, when I say someone is dumb, I do not mean they are not educated because, really, you can be academically well endowed and yet still be dumb. Here I’m only referring to those politicians who cannot engage their constituents in meaningful discussions and articulate the needs of the electorates. To me, such politicians are dumb!
Look, it’s not like we want to be ruled by the best and the brightest. No. All we need is messengers and they need not be more intelligent than us. All we ask for is to be represented by people who have our interests at heart.
We want people who stick with the people throughout their tenure because it is the people who take them to parliament. We don’t want people who nauseatingly suck up to the president just because the president can appoint them to cabinet. Let me get back to Gaborone Central before I derail.
It’s an open secret that BCP President Dumelang Saleshando and BMD President Gomolemo Motswaledi will represent their respective parties at Gaborone Central in the next general elections. It is also not a secret that Saleshando and Motswaledi do not fall in the dumb category of politicians.
What this therefore means is, any other candidate who shows up for the challenge must match or better still, surpass the two gentlemen’s political prowess. Gaborone Central is made up mainly of people who do not care much about receiving free blankets from government. It is made up of people who want government to empower them to be able to purchase their own blankets. These are the people who want a representative who can advocate for better education and health care.
Gaborone Central is made up of university students who want a representative with a good grasp of university life and demands. This constituency is made up of well off people who do not want to be told about backyard gardening but rather care more about the maintenance of streets lights, garbage collection and crime prevention. Saleshando and Motswaledi make perfect candidates for a constituency like Gaborone Central. They are ‘young’ and well versed on issues that are of interest to the people of Gaborone Central constituency.
While the BDP has had no problem attracting hopefuls for other constituencies, there seems to be a problem getting volunteers at Gaborone Central. None of the BDP’s so-called young turks is ready to face their contemporaries in Motswaledi and Saleshando. Well, somehow one can understand why the BDP guys are chickening out of the race.
Like I said, you cannot compete with Motswaledi and Saleshando if you are a donkey (boasting BDP colours without brains). You need to be smart or else they will bury you, politically. Now with this hesitation from BDP members in coming forth to represent their party, one can only deduce one thing from this show of cowardice. It is very clear the BDP has no people who are confident that they are equally smart or even politically more appealing than Motswaledi and Saleshando.
We have always warned the BDP youth of the danger of lacking ambition. I still don’t understand what stops the youth in the BDP to aspire for ‘take over’ from their elders. The current crop of youthful people in the BDP seems to enjoy admiring their leaders with no aspirations to take the baton from these elders. Since the BDP banished Motswaledi a few years ago, no single young person in the BDP has come out to show ambitions of filling in the void left by Motswaledi.
You see, this is why I respect Bernard Bolele so much because even when it was clear he stood no chance against Merafhe, he never gave up on his ambitions and aspirations to one day take over from Merafhe. I think it is very commendable of Bolele to show such tenacity and patience, which eventually paid off.
It is not disrespectful to stand against your leaders at elections more so when the party constitution gives you equal rights. This is why I still don’t understand why not even a single one of these young men in the BDP are not showing any ambitions to take over from the party presidency from Khama.
I don’t understand why the BDP seems to be failing to attract candidates in the Gaborone Central constituency when the party has people like Lesang Magang, Mpho Balopi, MacD Peloetletse, Thabo Masalila and many others who are as youthful as Motswaledi and Saleshando. Is it because they know they can’t faceoff with Motswaledi and Saleshando in political debates? Well, come to think of it, not even President Khama can dare Motswaledi and Saleshando for a debate. So really, maybe I’m just asking for too much from these BDP young men.
