BPF ready to end anarchy
NEC meeting to map way forward after court ruling We now move forward together and reunite the party- Ookeditse
Botswana Patriotic Front ( BPF) says the judgement by the Lobatse High Court Judge Matlhogonolo Phuthego against suspended President Biggie Butale and party Secretary General Tshekedi Khama will end anarchy that has been playing out in the party.
BPF has been engulfed in internal squabbles for many months and escalated in the past two months as the party prepares for its elective congress at the end of this month. With the bickering that has worsened within the party National Executive Committee ( NEC), the BPF leadership found itself battling for the soul of the party at the court of law.
Butale, who recently reinstated himself to the presidency position, was dragged to court by the NEC led by Acting President Caroline Lesang to interdict him from carrying out any duties of the party presidency.
Butale was supported by Tshekedi who recently wrote a letter to party structures indicating that Butale’s return is confirmed and going forward he will be leading the party. Tshekedi further indicated in the letter that the NEC met and has resolved to reinstate all those suspended, postponed the elective congress, dissolved the Disciplinary Committee and has suspended Publicity Secretary Lawrence Ookeditse and Secretary for Economic Affairs, Samson Guma.
Justice Phuthego ruled that there is no ambiguity that Butale continues to be barred from discharging the duties of a president as he failed to appeal the DC’s decision to pardon him as just an ordinary member.
Lesang had asked the court to make an order forbidding Butale from convening, arranging, staging, chairing, or presiding over any meeting of the National Executive Committee ( NEC) of the BPF and/ or any affiliates, organs, or structures of the BPF.
The judge also nullified all the decisions taken by Butale’s NEC meetings, which include the postponement of the party’s congress scheduled for the end of this month as well as the suspension of some members of the NEC including presidential hopeful Samson Moyo Guma, party spokesperson Lawrence Ookeditse, and national organising secretary Ford Moiteela.
Guma is running for the party presidency against Moiseraela Goya and Butale. The BPF NEC is expected to meet and discuss a way forward following the outcome of the court case. There have been several demands put before the NEC by various party structures among them Members of Parliament and councillors.
Speaking to Botswana Guardian after the verdict on Tuesday this week, Publicity Secretary Ookeditse said their reflection on the judgement is that it is a very good judgment, a very good outcome for the benefit for the party.
He said it is going to help the party going forward because it ends that spate where they were beginning to witness a bit of anarchy where everyone could come and give themselves positions in the party and do whatever that they want to do. He revealed that the judgement is good for the party and will help them take the next steps forward together without any unnecessary squabbles or conflicts.
“We now move forward together as a party and reunite the party. This is because what we need is that unity. We are not going to build a strong movement if we are not united. This means we have a lot of dialogues and conversations internally particularly amongst members of the party who are reasonable.
“Then it is also a time for a lot of soul searching by some of the people who are in leadership positions in the party. They need to do a bit of soul searching as to what leadership of this party means to them and what their intentions are in terms of the directions they want to take the party to,” Ookeditse said in an interview.
According to Ookeditse the judgement has demonstrated that there is nothing that has to happen without proper procedure being followed. He said it should teach them that going forward they must strictly follow whatever procedure and constitutional provisions their organisation has in place.
“So, it is a good thing in this regard. I think it does a lot of good for us. We will use it as a base on which we can move forward. I am not going to say a whole lot of things at this stage because we have an NEC meeting pretty soon and that NEC meeting, we make full decisions and conclusions as to how we are going to move forward. So, we will wait for it and we will get to know as to exactly what will happen,” the BPF Spokesperson said.