There are about four weaknesses one can immediately pick to explain why the United Democratic Movement has not captured the imagination of the public to a level that many had imagined. Foremost has been the squabbling and feuding culture of the senior partner ÔÇô the Botswana National Front, possibly a result of being a party that wants to be everything to everyone.
Absence of a strong personality that could be counted on to explain the vision even in the face of immense difficulties has also had a debilitating effect on the growth of UDC on public psyche. A dysfunctional public relations infrastructure and the absence of a strong secretariat to coordinate structures have meant that the party is invisible, only waking up to answer when prodded to do so by the media. Because of a few but formidably organized and vocal BNF malcontents, enjoying still to be explained media access , the UDC has often spent inordinately long hours justifying and defending itself to an internal audience rather than marketing itself to the wider spectrum of voters many of who are otherwise ripe for the taking.
With a strong personality that inspires some kind of overarching fear as its leader the BNF would very easily whip these perennial moaners into line. While it might be fair to acknowledge the fact that Duma Boko who is both BNF and UDC leader does have a vision, it is equally important to point out that voters often attach a much higher premium to a personality than they would do to such a vision. And Boko’s personality has often been lacking including seeing through the very vision that he has. In a totally unusual way he is perceived as a hardliner who is impatient with those who disagree with him, harbouring a soft spot for a clutter of men of straw that are often seen running around him.
The situation has been made worse by his failure to make escape from high tory intellectual courtroom arrogance often associated with members of the legal fraternity of which he is a member. But for all his many short comings, still I admire Boko for his risk happiness. A lesser mean would not have been able to stay the course of opposition unity in the face of organized resistance such as what he has gone through. He took risks that included a possible breakup of the BNF, not to mention personal impeachment as leader. In the face of such hardships, his determination and chutzpah have been breathtaking.
He saw off a line of wayward Members of Parliament, including his own deputy but still managed to keep ordinary members on his side. His biggest achievement thus far has been to wean the BNF away from antiquated Leninism and Marxist polemics that had made the BNF not just unattractive to young voters but had also brought it to its knees. With a much welcome touch of the BMD he has brought modernity and a touch of cosmopolitan aura that has for long been lacking in the BNF.
Perhaps most importantly Boko has delivered a kind of long term stability, a hitherto lacking guarantee that the BNF will not soon be in the market searching for a new leader. Uncertainty dodged Otsweletse Moupo’s era and ultimately brought the leader down. While not fully certain of the direction that Boko is taking them or their party, ordinary UDC members seem confident enough in the knowledge that at least the party’s enemies will be dealt with ruthlessly and comprehensively. But still Duma Boko has to find a way to take people along. From a distance one cannot help but miss a dearth of well developed social skills.
His persistent swipe at the academia can very easily be traced to a little man within. The UDC leader has to overcome inner feelings of inadequacy and get at peace with himself. He has to defeat what psychologists call a short-man syndrome. That will not be easy until such time that people feel he is one of them. It is not clear if the UDC or its opponents have realized it, but the last few weeks have been pregnant with evidence that there is a groundswell of excitement coming back into opposition politics, exactly the same vibe that once surrounded the creation of BMD. As it turns out that fever actually never left, it just went underneath a pile of political gridlock, waiting to be ignited by a conviction leader who believes in the potency of resurrection. The ground is set. The next few months will be crucial in determining how elections will eventually pan out come October.
That said, it will be infinitely reckless to predict a BDP defeat ÔÇô however remotely. But there is enough evidence to suggest that the BDP will get a good run for their money. And as we all know they have lots of money to run for.
