So near yet so far away
● No correspondence from UDC since our leaders’ suspensions-BCP No new developments in the UDC, BCP deadlock-UDC
FRANCISTOWN: The Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) and its affiliate, the Botswana Congress Party (BCP), which have been gripped by growing scandals recently and in the past, seem to be headed for more trouble.
The BCP says that the political deadlock between it and the UDC is triggered by the lack of good governance issues within the four-party coalition.
The UDC is made up of the Botswana National Front (BNF), the Botswana People’s Party (BPP), BCP and lately the Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF). The bickering between the UDC and the BCP has left scores of their respective supporters with fear that the situation may remain volatile forever. In fact, delegates at a recent BCP conference in Mahalapye gave their party the powers to exit the UDC within six months if governance issues are not addressed within the coalition.
The UDC is denying such claims.
Spokesperson of the BCP, Mpho Pheko, who is an associate professor of psychology at the University of Botswana (UB), told Mmegi that the BCP has not received any communication from the UDC following the suspensions of Dumelang Saleshando and Goretetse Kekgonegile from the UDC. The duo is president and secretary-general of the BCP respectively and sat in the national executive committee (NEC) of the UDC by virtue of their positions before being suspended. Some analysts view the suspensions of Saleshando and Kekgonegile, who are also legislators of Maun West and East constituencies respectively, as some of the factors with the potential to cause the BCP to permanently leave the UDC. Pheko explained that after Saleshando met the UDC and BNF president, Duma Boko, at Oliver Tambo International Airport in South Africa (SA) around mid July, the BCP has not received any formal correspondence from the UDC explaining why Saleshando and Kekgonegile were suspended from the coalition in line with the constitution of the UDC.