BOKO ELUSIVE ON MERGER
“As a leader I serve in the interest of the masses I will always go with the consensus of UDC members”
FRANCISTOWN: Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) and Botswana National Front (BNF) president, Duma Boko was almost elusive when asked about his position in relation to the proposed merger of political parties within the opposition coalition.
Botswana Congress Party (BCP) president and vice president of the UDC, Dumelang Saleshando is the first UDC leader to come out publicly in support of a proposed merger of parties within the coalition.
Perhaps in a well-calculated response meant to ensure that tensions did not escalate over the proposed merger, Boko chose to rather tread cautiously when responding to media questions regarding his direct position on the proposed merger.
He was addressing a press conference following a UDC National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in Francistown on Saturday.
“As a leader, I serve in the interest of the masses. It is not wrong for a leader to have his or her own views on a certain subject of interest or concern. But I will not publicly share my views on the proposed merger. I will always go with the consensus of UDC members,” Boko said.
Boko added that it would not be sincere of him to publicly state his position on the merger while the UDC was set for talks with the Alliance for Progressives (AP) and Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF) to see how the opposition parties can work with each other in a bid to uproot the ruling party from power. Both the AP and BPF have officially written to the UDC proposing talks with the latter with an aim of exploring arrangements that can help the opposition remove the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) from power.
It is worth noting that the AP had only proposed a working arrangement for the by-elections, but Boko said the UDC would propose that a working arrangement with AP went beyond that. The BPF wanted a working arrangement for the by-election and beyond.
There has been feuding of late amongst UDC members. The feuding followed a proposal of a merger of all UDC parties. BCP activists made the proposal. As part of the merger the BCP was proposing that the AP and BPF should also be fully amalgamated into the UDC. They believe the merger will strengthen the UDC.
BNF activists on the other hand have been unrelenting on social media. They have even said that those who were pushing for the merger should jump ship.
The BPP, another partner in the coalition has been entirely silent on the proposed merger. Following the NEC meeting, Boko said that all parties in the UDC have been given the mandate to ensure that their respective members debated issues involving the coalition in a very cordial manner at all times. At the press briefing, Boko noted that the intension of the UDC was to start talks with AP and BPF (over working together at the by-elections as well as exploring other ways of working with each to unseat the BDP) on October 17, 2020.
Three UDC NEC members, Venter Galetshabiwe, Moeti Mohwasa and Dr Kesitegile Gobotswang will represent the coalition at the talks.
He said that the UDC will also propose to the BPF and AP that experts be engaged to guide in terms of how the opposition parties can best work with each other in order for them to be competitive at the polls.
Meanwhile, Boko quashed media speculation that the legal costs for UDC election petitions amounted to millions of pula. The UDC challenged the 2019 election results in court and lost.
He said that so far the taxed bill of the legal costs granted by the Court of Appeal was P565, 000.
He highlighted that the bill was in relation to appeals of election petitions. He added that the UDC was yet to receive the taxed bill from the High Court.
According to him, the UDC would seek support from ordinary members and wellwishers to assist the petitioners to pay the bill.
At the press briefing Boko also said that the UDC had decided to give its lower structures the mandate of evaluating the coalition’s performance at the 2019 General Election.
He said that reports from the lower party structures, which were expected before the end of November, would be given to experts for further analysis and advice in terms of areas where the coalition can improve.
“Four men, Dr Howard Sigwele, Dr Patrick Molotsi, Sennye Obuseng and Lebogang Letsie have been appointed to come up with terms of references for the experts,” Boko said.