A powerful lobby group inside the ruling Botswana Democratic Party is nudging Assistant Minister of Local Government, Kentse Rammidi, to resign his cabinet position and concentrate his efforts on building the party as Secretary General.
News of Rammidi taking the ruling party’s hot seat comes a week ahead of a crisis meeting the BDP has called to brainstorm on strategies of saving the party from a groundswell of internal discontent with which it is grappling.
Under a clutch of initiatives introduced by President Ian Khama last year, people serving in the party’s executive committee cannot at the same time hold positions as ministers.
This means if Rammidi becomes BDP Secretary General, he will have to resign his cabinet position.
Asked if he had agreed to relinquish his cabinet position, Rammidi told The Telegraph that his efforts were all directed at rebuilding the party.
“You have to wait until after the retreat to ask me such questions,” he said when pressed more.
Regarded as one of the rising stars inside the BDP, Rammidi said he would not discuss such matters in the media, especially at a time when the party is going through such a difficult time.
The Kanye North legislator who is currently coordinating BDP’s desperate by-election efforts to retain Tonota North against a buoyant united opposition front said he remained steadfast in his belief that “only strong parties win elections.” He said his faith was in rebuilding strong BDP structures countrywide.
“There are those who strongly believe that elections are won by strong governments. I beg to differ. My belief is that elections are won by strong parties,” he said in response to an ongoing debate inside the BDP on whether to concentrate on rebuilding the party’s vanquished structures or on empowering the Central Government to deliver on promises made before last year’s General Election.
Information passed to The Telegraph indicates that a powerful group inside the BDP has identified Rammidi as the most suitable candidate for position of Secretary General in a new Central Committee that will replace the current “mediocrity that passes for a Central Committee,” said an insider who did not want to be identified discussing an internally sensitive matter.
If this plan goes through, Rammidi will replace Kwerepe who is viewed as out of his breath.
The group rooting for Rammidi also wants the informal retreat slated for this weekend to be transformed into a National Council so as to gain the legal recognition of a structure that can make binding decisions.
“Our intention is to hold an elective Congress by the end of the year, possibly in November. It is our hope that the weekend meeting will be able to reverse an earlier decision not to hold internal elections. Only a new Central Committee, elected at a Special Congress can give the party any hopes of renewal and regeneration,” said another senior BDP member who is also rooting for Rammidi.
Under this newly hatched scheme, Daniel Kwelagobe will remain as National Chairman since he is seen as the most potent voice that can stop people from defecting to the new Botswana Movement for Democracy, which is the BDP’s offshoot.
