Speculation is rife that the pre-Bulela Ditswe counseling session held over the weekend for Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) candidates in the Tonota North by-election was meant to stem possible defections from losers in tomorrow’s party primaries.
All six BDP candidates for Tonota North and their campaign managers were subjected to rigorous pre-election counselling by the party Political Education and Elections Committee (PEEC) last Saturday at the party regional offices in Francistown.
BDP spokesperson, Segaetsho Garekwe, this week denied that the counselling session was an attempt by the party to solidify its base in the wake of defections by disgruntled members to the Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD).
He said that by counselling the candidates the party wanted to minimise conflicts and differences that usually arise after the primary elections. “History has shown that after the elections some candidates fail to cope with the outcome of the elections to a point where they become disinterested in politics. Some go as far as throwing tantrums and accusing others of cheating,” said Garekwe.
He said on Saturday the PEEC team led by Power Moupi spent half a day preparing the candidates for the primary elections. “The idea was to make sure that the candidates understand why they are contesting the elections, understand the rules governing our primary elections and also to cope with stress after the elections,” he said.
The idea of pre-election workshops was adopted after the 2009 elections following a recommendation from the National Strategy Committee led by Vincent Seretse.
The committee found that post election counselling was not enough hence the need for pre-election counselling. “This was even before the formation of BMD,” said Garekwe.
Former BDP Deputy Executive Secretary, Fidelis Moalo who is also a candidate said he is surprised that the workshop was called a counseling session. He said the workshop was to advise candidates and their campaign managers on Bulela ditswe rules and regulations. “It was to remind us that we are colleagues contesting for one post and should avoid tarnishing each others name in campaigns.
We were encouraged to support each other after Bulela ditswe,” he said, adding that during his time in office he used to conduct several workshops for the candidates ahead of elections.
Tonota North seat fell vacant after the death of area MP Baledzi Gaolathe last month. The candidates in the race for the BDP primary elections are drawn from all over the constituency, which is made up of 10 wards. The six candidates are former Cabinet Minister Olifant Mfa, former Botswana National Youth Council (BNYC) Executive Director Fidelis Molao, former Deputy Permanent Secretary Lewis Malikongwa, businessman Ipuseng Chikanda, former councillor Molomo Maano, and Onkabetse Daniel.