Lekopanye Mooketsi
28 March 2008
Gaborone — The Publicity Secretary of the Botswana National Front (BNF) Moeti Mohwasa has admitted that there are divisions within their ranks.
"We can't deny that there is a problem within the organisation. We have to own up. We were divided when we went to Molepolole," Mohwasa said in an interview this week. The BNF spokesman said they were still polarised after the Molepolole congress.
He told Mmegi that they have realised that some party members did not accept the results of last year's Molepolole special congress at which party president Otsweletse Moupo retained his seat. He said some of the members have come out in the open to attack the party leadership. But the wishes of the majority must be respected, he added. "It is worrying that there are still people who are criticising the party leadership but claiming to be BNF members," said Mohwasa. Such people, he said, would have to toe the party line or else.
Mohwasa said after the Molepolole congress, some party members, who were against Moupo, claimed that they were going to be marginalised. But nothing like that happened, he said. Mohwasa stated that in fact there is nothing called the "Moupo faction" in the BNF. He said the party leadership was elected in Molepolole and all the BNF members have to rally behind the Moupo team. He added that even MPs, councillors and members of regional committees should also consider themselves as part of the leadership.
Mohwasa said people trying to undermine the BNF leadership were derailing the party. He said their detractors would also be in leadership positions at some stage and they would expect to be supported.
"As the leadership, we would be failing in our duties if we did not make sure that there was order and stability in the party. This is the responsibility of all the BNF members. When people have issues, they must address them through party structures - and not through the media," he said.
The BNF spokesman said it is their responsibility to ensure that the party is united in readiness for the general elections. "We would be failing if we do not unite the party. We would have to crack the whip against members who are not willing to toe the line. If you differ with the leadership you do not have to sabotage the party," he said, adding that all BNF members owe their allegiance to the party.
He vowed that the BNF would make a strong showing during next year's general election, as the BNF would not lose more constituencies to the BDP. "We believe that if anything we are going to win more seats in the forthcoming general elections," he said. Mohwasa does not believe that the recent by-elections are a barometer of what is going to happen next year. He maintained that the BNF has proven that it is still the second party to the BDP in terms of votes even during the by-elections.
He recalled that the BNF was more vulnerable during the 1999 general election but in 2004, the party managed to do well.
Mohwasa said recent calls for the BNF central committee to resign during the party's poor performance in the recent by-elections, is uncalled for. "It is unattainable to change leadership everytime you face crisis," he said.
Mohwasa said if the party leadeship has failed, even the MPs and councillors should take the blame. He said party members who are pointing fingers should be asking themselves what was their contribution during the by-elections.
He insisted that it is the responsibility of every BNF member to push the party agenda. However, he said, the buck lies with the central committee. Mohwasa argued that BNF is not the only party, which lost its seats in by-elections. He cited that in the past, both the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) and Botswana Congress Party (BCP) had also lost their council seats during primary elections. However, he admitted that his party could have done better in the recent by-elections in which they lost a parliamentary and council seat to the BDP.
Mohwasa feels there were reasons why their party did not do well in the by-elections. He said there was lack of cohesion after the Molepolole congress and party members were busy with primary elections.
For Mohwasa, this was a bitter experience. "We hope this will be a lesson to the party. We have to work together and the party should come first," he said.
On cooperating with other opposition parties, Mohwasa said they differed on the cooperation model to be adopted. The BNF preferred an alliance model.
He said the BNF is not totally against cooperation since it has parties that are cooperating with like PUSO. "We have gone out to embrace cooperation."
Mohwasa said the BCP believed that they were not voted in 2004 because they did not cooperate with other parties.
He said his party tried the pact model in 2004 and it failed. "We don't want the pact model because of the experiences that we had in 2004," he said. During the 2004 general elections, the BNF had entered into an electoral pact with the Botswana People's Party and Botswana Alliance Movement (BAM). However, the three parties did not do well in constituencies where they had the pact. The BNF official said that the 2009 general elections will prove that the pact model is not viable because the marriage between BAM and BCP will not yield the desired results.
He said even during the recent by-election, the electoral pact between BAM and BCP failed to yield results in the Bodibeng ward.
"Our view is that this model cannot yield expected results. We are talking from experience," he said.
Mohwasa accused some opposition parties of using the failed cooperation talks to push their agenda.
He said people claiming that the BNF pulled out of the unity talks, are not sincere. "They are trying to ride on a popular sentiment that opposition parties cannot cooperate. But it would be wrong to cooperate when you realise that the conditions on the ground are not conducive for such cooperation. We think cooperation with other parties did not materialise because we did not agree on a model."
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