BMD issue haunts UDC
Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) might fail to put forward its name at the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) to contest for 2019 general elections.This is because of the internal fights in the coalition which will soon be fought in courts of law.
Reading between the lines from the statements uttered by the enraged Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD), their colleagues in the UDC- Botswana Congress Party (BCP), Botswana National Front (BNF) and Botswana People’s Party (BPP) should brace themselves for a protracted legal battle. BMD, which has since been expelled from the UDC and given 30 days to appeal the decision to the UDC National Congress, has since revealed that it is taking the matter to court.
“We are going to court and that is where we will fight for our rights. We would lay out all the truth that Batswana need to hear. We cannot appeal to the National Congress which is a body that is controlled by people who have expelled us. Remember this is not happening for the first time because during the February 2018 congress at Boipuso Hall they attempted to expel us.
The situation was saved by UDC President Advocate Duma Boko so the expulsion is nothing new but something that they have been working on for a long time. We have faith in our courts. We want people who will be objective and honest when dealing with our matter,” BMD President, Advocate Pilane stated this week.
While it was highly expected that the BMD would launch the case as soon as this week, the party has revealed that ‘there is no rush’. According to sources, the BMD will delay the case until elections, next year. The case is expected to reach the Court of Appeal if any of the parties loses at the high court. The case if it follows normal procedure is highly likely to be heard sometimes next year at the high court since it would not have been launched through urgency application.
Responding to a question on when the case is anticipated to reach the court, Advocate Pilane stated that they are not in any hurry. He said all they are engaged in is to collect all the necessary information and evidence that they would be using in court. “We are preparing our papers for court. We are not in a hurry and when we are ready, we will let you know and will be heading to court. In the meantime, the real UDC is here and we are moving forward.
We will be working around the clock to ensure that we get candidates for Parliament and council seats across the country. We want to teach our friends at BCP and BNF that honesty and trustworthiness are key in liberating Batswana. It is now crunch-time and the question of rights arises and we will argue this in court. We will also in detail while in court, demonstrate how processes and procedures were not followed,” the BMD leader stated.
BCP and BNF are also on the other hand, addressing rallies around the country, updating members on what has transpired to trigger BMD expulsion. BMD still regards itself a UDC member in good standing. Recently, Advocate Boko stated that they are ready to handle the matter in court. This week he also took to social media to accuse their ‘colleagues’ of feeding people with lies, stating that “Some of the lies they tell would actually be comical if they weren’t so farcical!
We will put them to the sword, you just wait and see. They, that have lived by the sword will perish by it.”