The President of the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC), cde Duma Boko must begin to demonstrate shrewd leadership if the UDC is to gain voter trust and endear itself to the electorate well in time for the 2019 general elections.
There are a number of very pertinent issues that the Leader of the UDC cde Duma Boko and his lieutenants must grapple with as a matter of urgency if the UDC coalition is to be successful in its bid of regime change come 2019. These include but are not limited to: 1) failure by the contracting parties to agree on a coalition model, 2) politics of opportunism-evidenced by the fight over constituencies with the new kid on the UDC block BCP acting like the proverbial bull in a china shop, 3) lack of inner party stability and indiscipline among party cadres-far left BNF foot soldiers ÔÇô in-disciplined Youth Leagues, 4) poor voter education on the UDC coalition programme, 5) coalition leaders being power mongers and not doing it for the emancipation of the poor citizenry, 6) weak electoral base across the length and breadth of the country with some of the contacting UDC partners only having regional influence, 7) lack of a clear coalition message sold to the voter-for example- social economic and political transformation, 8) inability of coalition member parties to shed off their individual identities to embrace the greater calling of UDC solidary, identity and political purpose.
In order to demonstrate to the electorate that he is a leader of substance and that his party can be trusted to run this country efficiently post 2019, cde Boko must weed the alliance of politics of opportunism where contracting partners fight for positions as they salivate for the national spoils post 2019. This is key to UDC wining voter trust. Such clout can only be achieved if contracting partners begin to work for social cohesion, improved dignity of citizens, political inclusion and economic prosperity for all and not engage in politics of opportunism as is currently the case.
Though I wish to agree partially with cde Boko’s call to the UDC that BMD must be allowed to sought out its own mess. The political inferno raging in the BMD is fast bleeding electoral trust in the UDC. Therefore, it cannot be allowed to fester unchecked. An immediate political amnesty needs to be encouraged by much more rational outsiders who wouldn’t allow their emotions to cloud their judgment.
Again the issue of contracting members of the UDC still pushing their individual party agenda is evident at every UDC rally or political gathering where voters are constantly confused by the individual party paraphernalia, slogans and rallying cries that effectively undermine the UDC image. Therefore, it is important that as leader of the UDC cde Duma Boko begins to be unwavering in rallying his partners and foot soldiers behind a unifying UDC slogan, paraphernalia and singular purpose. This is the only way the UDC message will begin to be heard unambiguously by the electorate.
Another thorny issue is that of BNF and BCP being perceived by some short sighted politicians as like-minded political allies as opposed to BMD that is often viewed with suspicion due to its genesis. Or the BPP that is viewed as not bringing much clout to the coalition. Such impediment must be dealt with decisively as coalitions are about numbers ÔÇô the threshold required to win a majority vote and not about like mindedness. This calls for cde Boko to focus the UDC on a mutual gains approach rather than hard position bargaining, in order to enable contracting parties to achieve a next best alternative. Such a stand would promote transparency and accountability in all roles within the UDC and curb working at cross purposes as is currently the case. Allocating positions solely on the basis of proportionality might leave some parties feeling hard done. There should be a thorough consideration of: previous electoral performance, party membership/support base, historic strongholds and financial strength.
Though in politics trust is a rare attribute, cde Boko must work hard to create an environment of mutual trust and respect among contracting partners, their political views and positions. To achieve this the UDC President needs to have a robust communication system with PRO’s and political advisors whose primary function is to manage conflict and keep it out of the public eye. This in the process would engender trust in the electorate.
In addition, UDC needs to build a war room from which all external communication is rigorously sanitized so that all contracting partners speak with one voice. Such press offices will ensure that UDC conflicts are managed and resolved behind closed doors. It will also ensure that UDC rallying message is constantly and consistently communicated to the electorate. This will engender political trust in UDC without which victory is a mirage. Such war room should also be seized with continuously monitoring and auditing the impact of UDC in the political landscape of the country.
In saying so this is not to underplay complexities of coalitions in general. I am alive to challenges that contracting member parties face, namely: maintaining individual party identity while pushing UDC coalition mandate; developing mechanisms for working with coalition partners and consistently communicating UDC message and goals for national good.
Another major challenge facing UDC is that in many instances the contracting parties are caught up in freedom square rhetoric that focuses on Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) failures and name calling but in the process failing to provide a clear message of what UDC seeks to offer to the electorate.
Also, UDC President must attend to the coalition’s failure to provide distinctive and meaningful leadership on a multitude of national agenda issues such as: institutionalized corruption, the perceived EVM holocaust, the war of attrition on civil servants by government that has collapsed service delivery within the civil service and other contemporary national issues that threaten to collapse the national socio-economic structure.
Therefore, in order for the UDC to win electoral trust cde Boko must step up to the plate and deliver on these issues. UDC must prove itself as a viable alternative by providing responsive and trusted leadership in all spheres of national interest if it is to win the hearts and souls of the electorate.
*David Keagakwa wrires in his personal capacity as an academic.
