BAKANG TIRO
editors@thepatriot.co.bw
Tempers were high during Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF) consultative meeting held yesterday (Saturday) in Serowe which discussed among others, suitable cooperation model between the party and Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC), but observers say the two miss former president Ian Khama’s magic
Campaigns and preparations for 2024 elections got off to a slow start for UDC given that a number of pertinent issues such as finalization of wards allocation remain pending in UDC, clearly missing the hype brought by Khama during 2019 elections in bid to unseat Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) from power.
BPF Patron Ian Khama who is said to be wielding lot of influence on the party’s affairs confirmed in an interview on Friday that he would be part of strategic Serowe meeting but couldn’t disclose its agenda.
Asked if it would be ideal for the BPF to break away from the UDC months just before elections as some members suggest, Khama said he is more focused to witness united opposition rather that a divided one.
“I have supported and I will continue to firmly support whatever will be considered to be the most effective arrangement for opposition parties who were rigged out of power in 2019 by the BDP to work together to rid this country of the worst type of people who could ever be in government,” said Khama.
Recently, The Patriot on Sunday caught up with some of UDC and BPF followers in Palapye to gage the mood on the ground ahead of elections, and shared views that absence of Khama waned BPF popularity.
They noted that the party has not been growing at a pace which it was while Khama was still in the country, emphasizing that its collaboration with UDC is also not hot as it was during 2019 elections.
On whether his long absence from the political ground in Botswana would dampen UDC fortunes to match the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) during this year campaigns, Khama said for now he doesn’t really know as he is out of ground, and he will be in a better position to judge when he returns.
BPF Publicity Secretary Amogelang Mokwena said the meeting in Serowe was to consult on matters such as model on which BPF could work with UDC with, adding that there are discussions on BPF exiting UDC.
He also said the BPF could not ignore that the Khama factor would be pivotal for its UDC mobilization ahead of the elections, taking into consideration that he is a statesman hence his influence is massive.
“The Khama factor is one of the dynamics we cannot ignore at all. But I cannot say that our campaign trajectory or popularity is declining compared to 2019 not even that of UDC. For example, we had our conference late last year and we had 700 delegates in Khama’s absence and that show that we are still a strong party,” said Mokwena.
Godfather
University of Botswana (UB) based political analyst Dr Adam Mfundisi likened Khama to the Godfather of BPF and noted that his absence on the ground impacts negatively on growth and development of BPF.
Dr Mfundisi said BPF and UDC leadership must wake up from slumber and engage their grassroots membership in the decision-making processes affecting both formations and build an intact UDC.
“Democratization of both the BPF and the UDC is essential in cultivating trust and confidence on the voters. Primary elections are critical in wooing supporters and inculcating the values and principles of democratic politics,” said Dr Mfundisi.
He said ordinary members of the parties must feel that they are an essential part of their organizations.
Generally, he said people in Serowe and its environs are still behind the BPF and Khama, adding that The UDC supremos should come to the fore and reconcile the differences between the BPF and UDC related among others division of constituencies.
He also said dialogue is important to resolve the differences before they escalate to conflict that is not resolvable.
“UDC president Duma Boko should aways engage SKI in matters affecting the UDC, in particular those that border on relationship between it and the BPF. Also, Virtual interactions between the supporters and SKI must be invigorated to galvanize the support of the UDC in Serowe and beyond,” he added.
Mfundisi noted that collective leadership matters most in the 2024 general elections especially for UDC.
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