SELECTIVE ACTIVISM Madibelatlhopho
To turn blind eye to UDC internal rigging
Indications are that both the ruling and opposition parties in Botswana engage in electoral misconduct. This is according to insiders, some of whom have been victims of the menace of election rigging by their fellow party members.
While the ruling party is accused by the opposition of rigging both in the internal (primaries) and general elections, opposition party members have accused their ‘comrades’ of rigging primary elections themselves.
According to insiders, voter trafficking is rampant during the primary election season.
They say the manipulation of the voters’ rolls happens with the aid of some in the leadership of the concerned party especially if the concerned party is saddled by factionalism.
Allegedly, in some instances, the names of competitors are supplanted from the voters’ rolls to disadvantage and destabilise the concerned primary election competitor.
The rigging in these internal elections has been reported to happen in the major parties, including the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) who in recent months came up with an initiative called Madibelatlhopho, meant to ensure no electoral fraud takes place.
One wonders then, if the mandate of Madibelatlhopho also involves guarding against primary election rigging within the UDC partners namely the Alliance for Progressives, Botswana National Front, Botswana Patriotic Front, and Botswana Peoples’ Party.
It would also be interesting to know what the UDC would do to a member who cheats the law by, for example, trafficking voters at the expense of the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) in the general election.
According to the UDC Head of Communications, Moeti Mohwasa, the Madibelatlhopho project will not involve itself in the internal election activities such as primary elections.
“Madibelatlhopho is focused on national elections. It looks at institutionalised rigging that takes place with the use of taxpayers’ money and has become deleterious.
The UDC does not hold primaries but its affiliates do. Where there are instances of cheating in primaries as you allege, it will be best you talk to the individual parties involved,” Mohwasa said.
He stated that through Madibelatlhopho, the coalition encourages adherence to the law to ensure that the results of any election reflect the views of the
people. The UDC focus, according to the coalition official, is on institutionalised rigging.
“The meagre resources at our disposal would not allow us to look at the issues that you are raising.
We would appreciate it if you could share with us instances where our members are engaged in such a practice. It is common knowledge that it is the BDP that engages in such activities as reflected in the affidavits that were filed in court following the 2019 elections,” Mohwasa said, even against the backdrop of documented incidences in the past where opposition activists contesting primary elections have alleged rigging to a point they refused to continue with their parties and instead stood as independent candidates.