Khama fears BDP will postpone general eletion

 

Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF) founding Patron former President Dr Ian Khama has expressed worry that the ruling party might postpone this year’s general election.BPF is a breakaway party from the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP).

This past weekend the BPF converged in Palapye to usher in a new leadership.  The elective congress which attracted multitudes of members and well wishers ended with a star rally where Khama said his suspicions are that the BDP under President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi is not ready for this year’s general election.  He said the current BDP is different from the old one founded by his father and other democrats. He rubbished claims that Dr Masisi’s life is under threat.

There have been claims especially from Directorate of Intelligence and Security (DIS) that the life of the president is under serious threat.  Director General Peter Magosi told the media recently that security dynamics in the country have changed. He said there are two centres of power in the country and third forces with interest in the country are being used to destabilise the country.

However, Dr Khama is not buying any of that. “They say me and former DIS boss Isaac Kgosi are staging a coup. They say we want to kill the president and all of this is not true.  “We have not crossed the border to plan anything. If it is true why are they not contacting their counterparts in South Africa and have those involved get arrested?

“We know they are saying all of this because they do not want elections,” said the former president who revealed that they have people within government who are their eyes and ears and leak such information to them.The BPF Patron said what will happen is that Dr Masisi will call a state of emergency so that there would not be elections this year.  He said claims pertaining to the killing of the president and the coup are just a political stunt to build a case to call for state of emergency and postpone the general election expected in two months’ time. 

According to Khama this is because the BDP has realised that it would not retain power this time around. He told the rally that opposition specifically Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC), will assume power come October with the help of the BPF.  The BPF has said it would be supporting the UDC where it (BPF) would not be fielding candidates. The party has beginning this week opened up for members interested for contesting for political office to express their interest through the Secretary General’s office.