By Vusumuzi Sifile
The move last week by President Lt. Gen Seretse Khama Ian Khama to relieve Daniel Kwelagobe of his duties as the Minister of Presidential Affairs and Public Administration has added a new dimension to the internal politics of the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP).
This followed Kwelagobe’s opposition to Khama’s proposal that party members should not hold dual positions in Cabinet and in the BDP Central committee. Kwelagobe reportedly argued that he would contest the central committee elections for the party chairmanship in July, regardless of his ministerial position. And a few days later, he paid the price – he was dropped from Cabinet and replaced with Margaret Nasha.
As the ruling party’s national chairman, Kwelagobe ranks among the most senior and longest members of the BDP. And he also claims to be among the most loyal, hence his decision to remain in the party leadership than take up a parliamentary or Cabinet role. In fact, Kwelagobe is more than just an ordinary BDP member. He has established himself among the pillars of that system, and his role in the party’s internal politics, and even in national affairs, cannot be underestimated. And when such a key figure is fired, the issue generates lots of interest even among those that are not members or supporters of the BDP.
Without getting into the merits of Kwelagobe’s axing from Cabinet, one thing is clear: the BDP leadership is divided among itself. For some time now, there have been reports of serious factionalism within the Domkrag establishment.
This reminds of former US President Abraham Lincoln’s famous 16 June 1858 speech, where he said “a house divided against itself cannot stand”. Even in the Bible, Jesus once warned the Pharisees that “a Kingdom divided against itself shall not stand”. It could be time the BDP leadership took heed of some of these advices. Otherwise, like Khama pointed out in his address to the National Council on March 28, the BDP’s achievements of the last 42 years would be eroded, and in Khama’s words, “the party could fade into the past”.
President Khama’s proposal that party members should not hold positions both in the Central Committee and in Cabinet is very understandable. It allows as many of the party’s members to hold key positions, either in the party or in government. At the same time, the provisions of the BDP constitution on members and positions are also very clear.
But DK’s position can also not be dismissed. In fact, it is the most ideal. The BDP national chairman said his moves were meant to defend the party’s constitution, which among other things, does not prohibit members from holding positions in the Central Committee and in government. In any democracy, the constitution is the supreme document that is supposed to guide how those elected into power relate with those who elected them.
The implications of Kwelagobe’s dismissal, and the current cancer within the BDP may not be so obvious now, but the ruling party is treading dangerous by allowing the divisions to spread within its system. Little by little, the divisions are becoming so immense it could soon be difficult, or rather impossible, to contain them without condemning the party into a serious crisis.
Like any other political party, one that is currently in government for that matter, such divisions are unhealthy and cannot be condoned in any way. If only the party’s leadership could wake up to the realties of the current divisions and use that to map the party’s journey forward, their claim that “There is still no alternative” could soon prove to be untrue. A house divided against itself shall not stand.
This was published as an editorial comment for The Mirror on April 8.
The move last week by President Lt. Gen Seretse Khama Ian Khama to relieve Daniel Kwelagobe of his duties as the Minister of Presidential Affairs and Public Administration has added a new dimension to the internal politics of the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP).
This followed Kwelagobe’s opposition to Khama’s proposal that party members should not hold dual positions in Cabinet and in the BDP Central committee. Kwelagobe reportedly argued that he would contest the central committee elections for the party chairmanship in July, regardless of his ministerial position. And a few days later, he paid the price – he was dropped from Cabinet and replaced with Margaret Nasha.
As the ruling party’s national chairman, Kwelagobe ranks among the most senior and longest members of the BDP. And he also claims to be among the most loyal, hence his decision to remain in the party leadership than take up a parliamentary or Cabinet role. In fact, Kwelagobe is more than just an ordinary BDP member. He has established himself among the pillars of that system, and his role in the party’s internal politics, and even in national affairs, cannot be underestimated. And when such a key figure is fired, the issue generates lots of interest even among those that are not members or supporters of the BDP.
Without getting into the merits of Kwelagobe’s axing from Cabinet, one thing is clear: the BDP leadership is divided among itself. For some time now, there have been reports of serious factionalism within the Domkrag establishment.
This reminds of former US President Abraham Lincoln’s famous 16 June 1858 speech, where he said “a house divided against itself cannot stand”. Even in the Bible, Jesus once warned the Pharisees that “a Kingdom divided against itself shall not stand”. It could be time the BDP leadership took heed of some of these advices. Otherwise, like Khama pointed out in his address to the National Council on March 28, the BDP’s achievements of the last 42 years would be eroded, and in Khama’s words, “the party could fade into the past”.
President Khama’s proposal that party members should not hold positions both in the Central Committee and in Cabinet is very understandable. It allows as many of the party’s members to hold key positions, either in the party or in government. At the same time, the provisions of the BDP constitution on members and positions are also very clear.
But DK’s position can also not be dismissed. In fact, it is the most ideal. The BDP national chairman said his moves were meant to defend the party’s constitution, which among other things, does not prohibit members from holding positions in the Central Committee and in government. In any democracy, the constitution is the supreme document that is supposed to guide how those elected into power relate with those who elected them.
The implications of Kwelagobe’s dismissal, and the current cancer within the BDP may not be so obvious now, but the ruling party is treading dangerous by allowing the divisions to spread within its system. Little by little, the divisions are becoming so immense it could soon be difficult, or rather impossible, to contain them without condemning the party into a serious crisis.
Like any other political party, one that is currently in government for that matter, such divisions are unhealthy and cannot be condoned in any way. If only the party’s leadership could wake up to the realties of the current divisions and use that to map the party’s journey forward, their claim that “There is still no alternative” could soon prove to be untrue. A house divided against itself shall not stand.
This was published as an editorial comment for The Mirror on April 8.
1 comment:
The divisions seem to be now getting really serious. After the Central Committee elections, there are now basically to BDPs, the one running the country and the one running the party. WE wait and see what happens in the elections. This is promising to be the most interesting Botswana election ever. But why are there no updates on your site
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