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Botswana: BDP Rejects 'Dictatorial' Proposals
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Mmegi/The Reporter (Gaborone)
28 March 2008
Posted to the web 31 March 2008
Oliver Modise
Gaborone
Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) members yesterday rebelled and rejected an amendment to their party constitution giving their party president powers to discipline party members.
A majority vote also rejected a proposal to increase the term of office for the party's central committee to five years from the current two.
The BDP holds its congress and elections every two years. The party was gathered at Boipuso Hall in Gaborone to vote for or against 18 proposed constitutional changes following a task force led by BDP Women's wing chairperson Tebelelo Seretse. There has been a concern that the constitutional amendments were a threat to the BDP's democratic fibre, with party cadres signaling worry that the proposed reforms sought to transfer power from party structures to the incoming party president Ian Khama.
With only three days before Khama ascends to the state presidency, BDP big-shots, notably Jacob Nkate, Daniel Kwelagobe, Mompati Merafhe, Kentse Rammidi and Robert Masitara, sat at the high table with Khama, their expressions sombre. Dressed in their red, black and white party colours, they seemed to be listening attentively as the amendments issue was put to the floor for discussion. Margaret Nasha became the hero of the day as she rose out of nowhere to oppose the proposed amendment to article 34, which dealt with the powers and functions of the president. Nasha's Gaborone region has been arguing against the proposal for the party president to reprimand, suspend, debar and even expel party members.
"What is worrisome is that people are going to blackmail us," Nasha said, adding that summary disciplinary powers could mean anything. According to the amendment, the president may exercise summary disciplinary power against any member, which may result in verbal reprimand or written reprimand, if he considers that to be in the best interest of the Party". Although there was a air of discipline as members thrashed out the amendments, there were smiling faces and phone calls to celebrate the defeated proposals. Kabo Morwaeng also took the floor to challenge an amendment calling for the party's parliamentary and council caucus decisions to be binding. Morwaeng said there was a threat of empowering the caucus at the expense of the electorate and asked for clarity regarding which decisions would be binding.
Contributing to the debate, Khama said making caucus decisions to be binding for party members was good for collective responsibility. "If we allow individualism in the party, we are going to have problems," said the BDP Chairman. "We have to support each other, what is the point of having a caucus?" he asked. Last year, the party's Gaborone Region, chaired by Gomolemo Motswaledi, indicated that it feared that the party was planning to create a party caucus of MPs and councillors with powers over party members.
Meanwhile, the special congress has accepted amendments of Article 14, which deal with discipline in the party. The proposal that the state Vice President in a BDP government should automatically become the party Chairman was not in the amendments. The special congress has approved the creation of the party's council of elders tasked with investigating, arbitrating and cautioning those involved in factional activities.
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Another approved structure is the branch veteran forum meant to advise the central committee on investigations. Seretse's task force had recommended that the BDP national council of elders be given powers to summon cabinet ministers to talk about progress in Government's implementation of the BDP manifesto.
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