BDP in Pan African Parliament Dilemma

  • BDP suggests Beauty Manake

LETLHOGILE MPUANG

The Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) in parliament is believed to be struggling with finding Kgosi Mosadi Seboko’s replacement as the country’s representative at the Pan African Parliament, The Botswana Gazette has established.

BDP sources have revealed that the party has decided to  nominate Assistant Minister of Trade Beauty Manake to take over the position after Unity Dow’s rejection. According to the Pan African Parliament statutes a minister cannot be allowed to be a country rep.

“We are struggling in terms of finding a replacement for Kgosi Seboko. We do not have any female in the backbench neither does the Opposition parties have,” revealed the source. Dow revealed that her reasons for rejecting the position was because Kgosi Seboko had never informed announced her intentions to quit from the position.

For his part, Chief Whip Liakat Kablay told this publication that the party was yet to make a final decision on the matter.

“We are still consulting on the matter. It is true that we have suggested Hon Manake , it is true that the statutes does not allow a Minister to be a rep but we are still consulting,” said Kablay.

“There was a point where we did not have any female backbenchers and we nominated Mma Tshireletso when she was Assistant Minister and she was approved, hopefully we will be approved.”