Irked BDP pushes for Dow’s suspension

Some Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) members say they are unhappy that Specially Elected Member of Parliament, Unity Dow, is failing to abide by party rules and regulations.

This comes after BDP Parliamentary Whip, Liakat Kablay lodged a complaint against Dow last month and the latter filing her defence statement.

She was given 14 days by the BDP’s disciplinary hearing sub-committee to have written her defence. Kablay had written to the party disciplinary sub-committee that Dow has gone against the party caucus and continued to tarnish the party’s image on social media.

Mmegi has learnt that some members are pushing the leadership to suspend Dow from the party because they feel that her actions are tarnishing the party’s image. The latest standoff between Dow and her party came after she refused to replace Kgosi Mosadi Seboko at the Pan African Parliament.

Currently, Dow’s response which is all over social media has attracted debate within her party as some believe that the MP has crossed the line by allegedly leaking the letter to social media while the case was still before the disciplinary committee.

“What is happening is totally wrong whether the member is right or wrong. It is unacceptable for party internal communication, especially on a matter that is before a disciplinary hearing, to be leaked. Dow is wrong and the party should take action just like what it did with other MPs before. If a member wants to defect or resign from the position she/he is given, they must at least respect party procedure. But as it stands, it contributes a lot to issues of indiscipline,” a source within the BDP told Mmegi.

Contacted for comment regarding the latest development, party spokesperson Kagelelo Kentse said: “The issue of MP Dow is before the party’s disciplinary committee and we would like to give them an opportunity to deal with it. So we won’t be commenting on it. However, we find it very unfortunate for replies coming from her to be all over the media. That is not how things are done in the BDP. We respect our internal processes no matter how we feel.”

Dow on the other hand denies that her actions or behaviour is bringing the party’s name into disrepute in her written response. She indicated that her conduct was motivated by a desire to right a wrong and give the Speaker an opportunity to correct an error. She further pointed out that such can only enhance the party’s reputation.

“It is a common cause amongst the parties that there are procedures regulating the creation of vacancies at the Pan African Parliament (PAP). It is common cause between parties that Lefoko Moagi has publicly stated that only was there no caucus decision to ‘remove’ Kgosi Mosadi but that he voted with the opposition against the attempted removal. It is still unclear to me to this day why a vacancy was declared when none existed and why the incumbent must be removed, seemingly at all costs. The cost is in fact the reputation of the party,” she said in her letter.

She also denied that she issued a media release which was not sanctioned by the party or brought to the attention of the Speaker rejecting her appointment.

Instead, Dow said she informed the Clerk of the National Assembly through WhatsApp that she had discovered that the Speaker had mistakenly declared a vacancy at PAP when it did not exist.