BCP buries head in sand
Adv Boko pulls a fast one on Saleshando I will not dwell on the past, I choose the future - Saleshando
Botswana Congress Party seems to have abandoned its plan to push for an elective congress of the Umbrella for Democratic Change in the shortest possible time to usher in a ‘ democratically elected’ National Executive Committee ( NEC).
Other UDC contracting partners are Botswana National Front ( BNF) and Botswana People’s Party ( BPP).
After publicly advocating for the elective congress, the BCP this week, was at pains following the UDC NEC Palapye meeting, to explain why it pushed for elective congress while fully aware of pending issues that hinder the holding of the congress.
According to UDC leader Advocate Duma Boko there is a 2018 issue which is pending following the UDC Constitutional Conference held in February that year at Boipuso Hall.
Boko who is also BNF President, stated that following a constitutional conference held at Boipuso Hall in 2018, a draft constitution was generated which was later submitted to the Registrar of Societies.
“It attracted objections from the Botswana Peoples Party. The high watermark of the objection was the issue of whether the leadership of the UDC should be elected in a majoritarian way at a Congress.
“This objection apprehended a possible majoritarian exclusion of other parties within the coalition from a direct role in leadership. This objection has, to date, not been resolved.
“The result is that the UDC has not transitioned to a new and updated or improved constitution. There is a constitutional review exercise currently underway and which will, in due course, be enriched by the inputs of other parties that should join the UDC.
“The UDC would then, hopefully, usher in a new constitution to regulate its affairs into the future. When it transitions to that envisaged constitutional order, it is that order that will then govern and regulate its affairs.
“The nature and character of the UDC will then be spelt out in that new constitution”, the UDC President said.
He added that the NEC of the UDC is overseeing this constitutional review process and has been seized with it since the Boipuso Hall Constitutional Conference.
According to him, it is anticipated that this process will be completed by the end of this year.
The BCP has been the only vocal contracting partner within the UDC demanding the holding of an elective congress. For some time this matter has caused tension within the coalition as other partners were accused of being against the call for elective congress which is supposed to be held every three years as per the UDC Constitution.
The BCP has been adamant that if the UDC cannot be democratic internally, then it would not be able to be democratic once it assumes power.
Asked why BCP pushed for the elective congress when it knew of the 2018 pending issues raised by BPP, BCP President who is also UDC Vice President Dumelang Saleshando, became evasive.
Saleshando said he would not want to dwell into the past and is only interested in the current and the future. He said he would not want to be dragged into discussing issues of the past.
“The issue is that do we want to live in the past or the future? I choose the future. There are always differences in political movements. I have seen this before in my political life.
“We should appreciate that differences will always be there. What is important is how are we going to do things better.
“From the meeting we are now close than before. I will not look at the past. We are preparing for the many rivers that we have to cross”, Saleshando, who is also Leader of Opposition in Parliament, said. Saleshando’s response comes just a week after he had narrated a different story when addressing a press conference in Gaborone.
During that media briefing, Saleshando stated that there is too much debate and differences regarding the UDC Constitution. He explained that it was agreed as UDC that post 2019 there will be an elective congress to usher in new leadership.
“UDC Constitution says there should be a congress every three years to seek fresh mandate. In 2018 UDC had a National Conference where a new Constitution was adopted in which it was agreed that the UDC President will take us to the 2019 general elections and post that, there will be an elective congress.
“That was the between BCP, BNF and BPP. If there is a change, we have to sit down and discuss but I am not saying that it is a deal breaker because we have to go back to the members and hear what they say.
“The Transitional Clause is meant for preparation to the congress. You cannot have a permanent Transition”, Saleshando told the media.
This has raised questions as to whether the BCP has been disingenuous in its demands for a congress under the guise of democratising the UDC or whether the party was cornered by its partners during the Palapye NEC meeting and decided to sacrifice its position for the unity and sanity of the opposition coalition.