- Ramaotwana and Motlhala tasked with drafting the constitution
- The document to reflect the fact that UDC is not a unitary political party
- Final version to be examined after opposition cooperation talks
MPHO MATSHEDISO
Nelson Ramaotwana and Oteng Motlhala of the Botswana National Front (BNF) have been
assigned to draft the constitution of the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC), UDC spokesman Moeti Mohwasa has said.
Speaking at a media briefing this week, Mohwasa said the two men were assigned the task after the last constitution was rejected by the Registrar of Societies. “They will submit the draft to the BNF central committee for consideration before it is submitted to the UDC National Executive Committee (NEC),” he said.
The veteran spokesman said the final version of the constitution will be examined for adoption as soon as the UDC has concluded opposition cooperation talks.
In a related development, Mohwasa said the central committee received a comprehensive briefing from UDC deployees at its meeting of 12 June. “After extensive debate and engagement on the supposed nature and structure of the UDC, it was resolved that the UDC is not a unitary political party and that its constitution should reflect that,” he said.
He raised concern about of members of the National Executive Committee of the UDC who allegedly discuss internal matters of the coalition in the media.
“Discussing our internal matters with the media compromises the integrity and unity of the UDC,” Mohwasa said.
Meanwhile, the central committee of the BNF will set up a transitional committee of the Botswana National Front Youth League (BNFYL) that will be led by Tona Mooketsi and Nelson Ramaotwana.
“They are to deal with consultations on the BNFYL draft constitution and determine where MASS should be located as its integral part,” Mohwasa explained.
The setting up of an interim committee follows a BNFYL congress scheduled for May 2020 that was suspended due to the outbreak of COVID-19.