AP withdrawal from negotiations could backfire

 

A decision by Alliance for Progressives (AP) to pull out of negotiations with other opposition parties has been met by some resistance within its fold, Botswana Guardian has learned.

AP has pulled out of the negotiation table with Botswana Congress Party (BCP) and Botswana Labour Party (BLP). There are claims that the AP would soon get into talks with the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) in preparation for next year’s general election.

While all the three parties, AP, BCP and BLP have played their cards close to their chest on what caused the fallout, insiders have indicated that the AP was having a big appetite in the talks and wanted more.

The trio has revealed that there were issues of concern from both the AP and BCP raised at the negotiation table. The negotiation team met on Monday this week and the AP announced the decision taken during a central committee meeting to withdraw from the talks.

Prior to the Monday meeting, AP and BCP had differences on allocation of some of the constituencies and the constitution of the electoral college where delegates were to vote for the coalition leadership.

The duo also did not agree on the model to be used going into the 2024 general election. As the tension escalated between the two parties and with mistrust growing the UDC reportedly dangled a carrot before the AP and promised to hand it over the constituencies that were initially given Botswana Movement for Democracy for the 2019 general election.

The presidents of the three parties, AP’s Ndaba Gaolathe, Dumelang Saleshando of the BCP and Dr. Prince Dibeela of BLP were expected to meet before end of this week as a matter of urgency to try and address their differences.

Information reaching Botswana Guardian is that even though the AP leadership has taken a decision to dump the talks, already there is resistance from within the party on the decision to leave and negotiate with the UDC.

Botswana Guardian has learned that other than the Student Movement at University of Botswana (UB) being against the move, a resistance group was being formed this week and is expected to mobilise structures to reject the decision by the central committee.

According to sources, a team of six members with two members from the central committee is being put together to push the resistance agenda.

Sources from the talks have indicated that the move by the AP leadership is miscalculated and was immature. This publication has also established that the BCP and the AP (former BMD) have not been honest with each other from the onset of the negotiations. These are the two political parties whose differences resulted in the collapse of the first UDC negotiations in 2012.

According to insiders, the BCP had not healed from the 2014 general election after it left the talks in 2012. The party went on to revenge against the then BMD led by Ndaba Gaolathe during the 2017 saga which resulted in the split of the BMD and formation of the AP.

In 2017 the BCP was accused of having played a significant role in calling for power sharing between Gaolathe-led faction and Adv. Dr. Sidney Pilane-led faction in a verdict given at Oasis Hotel in Tlokweng, knowing that the Gaolathe faction had stood its ground demanding fresh elective congress failing which they would dump the BMD and form a new party.