- I am at peace outside the BDP
Former Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) regional chairperson, Reaboka Mbulawa has come out guns blazing explaining his reasons for resigning from the party he served for 15 years and joined the Botswana National Front (BNF).
Addressing a press conference in Maun over the weekend alongside the regional leadership of his new political stable, Mbulawa who is a former North West District Council Chairman, catalogued a myriad of tribulations he faced in the BDP, especially under the leadership of party President Mokgweetsi Masisi. His resignation, he said, was a culmination of many wrongs he endured that include threats of expelling him from the party at some point.
In Masisi, Mbulawa said the BDP has a president who let paranoia get the best of him, and his position and acted on impulse, resisted divergent views and victimised those who disagreed with his style of leadership. Paranoia that was due to Masisi’s fall out with former President Ian Khama.
The prominent businessman further said he was targeted and victimised through abuse that went on unabated, despite his efforts to seek redress. Without mincing his words, Mbulawa has placed all that has happened in the party, the loss at the polls and the resignations on Masisi’s door step. He accused the BDP leader of selective democracy, where friends and those close to him were favoured for positions.
A paranoid president who has not only destroyed the BDP, but cost it power at the October 30 polls, Mbulawa further said of the BDP leader.
Mbulawa who had for the last part of his stay in the BDP, especially after he was vetted out by the Central Committee from contesting for Maun East constituency in the party’s primaries, through his social media post clearly showed he was a wounded man.
Mbulawa was vetted out alongside Costa Markus and Chris Bethia, and no reasons were given by the party for the decision. The party would then rope in former Chanoga tribal leader Oateng Sethodi to be the party’s candidate in the October 30 elections.
This to Mbulawa was disingenuous of the party, where not even an explanation was not given to the three candidates. This appears to have been the straw that broke the camel’s back, but he would remain in the party even when it was hot inside.
When the Dikoloti Saga unfolded, Mbulawa’s disapproval of the party’s handling of the matter could be heard loudly – again on his social media rants. He even openly celebrated the party’s loss at the polls, and to him this was long coming given the handling of the party issues by Masisi.
But what was Mbulawa’s biggest sin that offended Masisi and his Central Committee?
Mbulawa has further indicated that there was an unwritten policy in the BDP under Masisi where anyone who is alleged to be a ‘Khama person’ was viciously dealt with and purged.
He said he was accused of being business partners with Khama, and therefore labelled a Khama person, something which he denies. This all came from the fall out between Khama and Masisi, and the latter is accused of taking the party and the nation into the fight and at times using state resources.
“I have never been a business partner with Khama. The information on the shareholding of my businesses is in the public domain,” Mbulawa asserted.
Mbulawa further painted a picture how the Khama issue destabilised the party and even led to it losing power – all because of Masisi’s paranoia.
“The mention of Khama’s name with fellow democrats would result in people leaving the room. No one wanted to be associated with any mention of Khama for fear of victimisation. If anyone wanted you to be in bad books with the Masisi, they would simple tell him that you are Khama person, then that’s the end,” Mbulawa said.
According to Mbulawa, former minister of tourism Philda Kereng was removed from cabinet after it was alleged that she was seen greeting Khama.
Meanwhile Mbulawa has revealed that from the different parties that approached him he finally decided to join the BNF with life membership, dismissing his critics who said he was opportunistic and wanted to be in the ruling party to protect his business interests.
“I do not get business from government, I am into tourism which thrives on international travellers,” he clarified.
More perplexing, is the decision by the Central Committee members to cling onto their positions and fail to responsibility by resigning for taking the party from power after 58 years, Mbulawa said.
