Nna nka swaba! Honestly, if I was Dumelang Saleshando I would be ashamed to ask for any fair deal in opposition cooperation after squandering all the bargaining power that I had and failed to utilize. I mean, for some of us who have all along been making all the right noises, trying to show Saleshando the way, it comes as a shock to see the Botswana Congress Party (BCP) president still clinging to this denial he still possess some political relevance. Saleshando has driven the BCP down the drain and he needs to be told, point blank. The BCP has become obscure and irrelevant, all thanks to Saleshando’s indecisive leadership. The BCP has reversed all the gains it gradually attained since inception, all thanks to Saleshando’s reckless steer-ship. Political careers of many BCP activists have been ruined on account of BCP’s refusal to heed the call for a united opposition. BCP members have become silent on social media political debates, simply because the outcome of the 2014 general elections rendered them irrelevant to the political discourse. When some of us gave brotherly and patriotic advise to Saleshando and asked him to stop being delusional and push for his party to join the umbrella, his hangers-on labeled us haters. They even said we are jealous of Saleshando. I do not understand why we would be jealous of Saleshando when we have never harbored any ambitions to occupy political office.
Our advice to Saleshando was based purely on good faith and practical observation of the political mood on the ground. We told Saleshando that he was going to lose in the general elections if his party went solo but instead of heeding our advice, he chose to listen to his bootlickers who thought we were jealous of him. The only problem with Saleshando is that he allowed personal emotions to get the better of his judgment. Saleshando is currently in the political wilderness due to his own doing.
Had Saleshando pushed for his party to be part of opposition collective he would still be in parliament. The BMD would not have fielded a candidate as the proposal called for parties to retain their incumbent candidates.
When leaders of other parties took bold steps to resuscitate opposition talks after the collapse of the first negotiations, Saleshando allowed himself to be pulled by the ears by some quarters in the BCP who had a disdain for the UDC. Look where he is now. Look now where the BCP is. The BCP thought it was so big it could attain power without the collective efforts of a united opposition. They have been humbled and are now reduced to being ‘children like all other children.’ They cannot boast some relevance to any sane person. After such humiliation at the general elections, the only thing Saleshando should be doing is to offer an apology to BCP members for misleading them and thereafter he should go on his knees and beg for refugee under the umbrella. He shouldn’t be giving conditions as he now seems to be doing with calls for fair deals.
What fair deal does he want when he is bringing next to nothing? At this point, the UDC leaders shouldn’t even be begging Saleshando to come on board because it is quite evident, with or without him; BCP members have finally seen the light. Yes, I say all this with the hope the UDC leadership won’t do as I say they should. They must, as politicians ought to do, practice patience and diplomacy with Saleshando no matter how irritating he must be to them.
The no blows barred talk should be left to some of us who have vowed to tell it like it is even if that means breaking friendships. The UDC must pamper the BCP for the sake of removing the BDP from power but as for me, I have no reason to beat about the bush when we all know the BDP won the last general elections simply because Saleshando derived some mojo from being addressed as shadow president. We need to tell Saleshando about all his hiccups (not really that) because the only way for him to get away from this delusion that he can single-handedly wrestle power from the BDP is when he is pestered with the truth.
We should not give him shadow truths. Saleshando and his BCP should just humble themselves and accept whatever peanuts are thrown at them by the UDC.
They have no backbone to demand fair deals when they refused to accept the fair deal that was put before them before the general elections. Yes, the UDC need the BCP but their courting should not be in desperation to the extent of allowing Saleshando to dictate terms to them. Saleshando must just join the UDC and sit down.
He will be rewarded with an ambassadorial post to Zimbabwe in the event the little that he brings will help the UDC attain power.
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