‘ Masisi embarrassed’
Action to be taken against MPs for violating caucus resolution Behaviour deemed anti- BDP and will not be tolerated
An attempt by the Botswana Democratic Party ( BDP) leadership to take action against its backbench Members of Parliament for recently voting against the party in Parliament might backfire as the MPs have vowed to revolt.
The division within the party especially at Parliament which has dragged for some time has a potential to harm the BDP. Most members of the BDP backbench in the just- ended Parliament broke ranks with cabinet members and voted with opposition during debates on the Tobacco Control Bill and the Economic Inclusion Bill.
The MPs have expressed that they were not comfortable with the way the Bills were crafted and presented to them during the party’s caucus meeting.
It has since now emerged that the decision by the MPs some of whom voted with the opposition while others decided not vote at all, could have annoyed the party leadership.
While the party caucus is binding for the members to support a decision taken, the MPs have argued that they would not be coerced to support decisions that have been first agreed at cabinet meetings without their input as backbench.
This week, the Chief Whip Liakat Kably revealed in an interview with Botswana Guardian that President Mokgweetsi Masisi and the entire BDP community were
embarrassed by the MPs’ actions. He said action has and is going to be taken over the wayward behaviour exhibited by the MPs.
“It was very shocking. The president is embarrassed, the party is embarrassed. We have all agreed at the caucus that we are going to support those Bills as a collective. I was shocked that my colleagues had agreed to support the Bills only for them to revolt and vote with the opposition.
“We cannot risk having such behaviour within the BDP. That is not the BDPour party has a culture and laws to be followed and respected,” fumed Kably.
The MPs’ argument is that in most cases they are not taken onboard with regards to the government Bills only to be asked to support them even though they are not in the interest of the citizens.
Those who spoke to this publication on conditions of anonymity dared the party leadership to take action against any one of them.
“We will meet if they do such. In fact it would be reckless because we have had some of them in the executive who have not voted along party lines.
“Recently we had agreed that we would support MP for Nata- Gweta, Polson Majaga’s motion that called for the support of businesses in the liquor industry but they voted against having the motion.
“If at all we were all equal even the party chairman and vice president Slumber Tsogwane could have been taken to task when he voted with the opposition while Parliament was sitting at Boipuso Hall,” the MP said.
Another MP explained that they have made known their position on the Economic Inclusion Bill, a concern that has been ignored. The MPs fear that indigenous Batswana will be disadvantaged under this law.
They also argue that a small man in the tobacco business industry will be disadvantaged while big retail stores will be making a lot of money.
“The problem is that the party’s Parliamentary business is run from two centres of power.
They agree at cabinet level and then want to come and dictate to us what has been done without our input from the onset.
“How then are we in the same government together? There is caucus A at cabinet and caucus B where we are included as MPs. We will see what they will do but we are not moved by the threats from the chief whip who has for long demonstrated not to be on our side but on the side of the ministers and party leadership.
“This will be a witch- hunt if not those who have not voted with the party in the past should also be punished as the party did with our former colleague MP for Jwaneng- Mabutsane,
Memphato Reatile who was suspended for voting with the opposition,” another MP revealed.
Kably has however reiterated that extensive explanation has been given. He said the party cannot allow its members who are supposed to drive its policies and programmes to behave in that manner. “The president was made aware of what happened and he was equally shocked like most of us. We investigated and we know people behind this. We know an MP who was making phone calls and coercing others to vote with opposition.
“We cannot have such behaviour tolerated. We will have to set an example with that MP. People were busy voting no while others did not vote. I asked them why they didn’t vote and they claimed that they had gone to the toilet. “I mean how can so many people go to the toilet at that crucial time?
This was a deliberate sabotage on the president and our government by extension the party. We are in government and we cannot allow such behaviour to make us lose focus and government,” he said. The MP has however indicated that should the threats exhibited in the words by the chief whip get in motion they will lobby for more to follow the targeted and if anything, “situation be a lose both sides and all go for elections than be oppressed”.