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Botswana: Students Show Opposition Parties the Way
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Mmegi/The Reporter (Gaborone)
4 April 2008
Posted to the web 7 April 2008
Lekopanye Mooketsi
Gaborone
The Publicity Secretary of the Botswana National Front (BNF), Moeti Mohwasa has welcomed the cooperation of opposition party wings at the University of Botswana (UB).
Last week, the opposition coalition composing of the BNF, Botswana Congress Party (BCP), Botswana Peoples' Party (BPP) and the UB Pan African Society swept all the 13 seats in the Students Representative Council (SRC) elections.
The opposition parties toppled the GS26, the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) branch which has been controlling the SRC. In 2006, the opposition parties took over power through cooperation. Last year, the BNF decided to go it alone and lost all the seats to the BDP. Mohwasa hailed the move as a welcome development and said if the opposition cooperation can work at UB, then it could succeed anywhere. "This shows what can happen if we work together," he said, adding that they do not have a problem UB BNF branch cooperating with other opposition parties.
"If we have not entered into a deal it does not mean we can't cooperate in other areas because our main enemy is the BDP," said Mohwasa. The BCP Publicity Secretary, Dumelang Saleshando said the UB opposition pact was initiated by the students themselves. He said party structures were not involved. Dumelang Saleshando ruled out the possibility of his party engaging in unity talks with the BNF again before next year's general elections. "We can't go on talking and talking," he said. Mohwasa said they have moved to another stage and they are preparing for elections. The President of the SRC, Kagiso Thutlwe said they agreed to cooperate with other opposition parties for the sake of the students. Thutlwe, who is a BNF member, said they do not have a problem working with other opposition parties.
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Thutlwe said their mother parties should emulate what they have done at UB. He said in 2005 and 2006, the opposition parties were doing well in by-elections because they were cooperating. "We want the mother bodies to cooperate. The best thing is to put our differences aside," said the SRC leader.
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