Now with the 2004 elections around the corner, the BCP has started predicting that they will take over power.
Party president Otlaadisa Koosaletse told a press conference at Cresta Lodge yesterday that he was confident that the BCP was going to win with a big margin.
“We know that this election will be fiercely contested but BCP have made adequate preparations, and we are aware of the stiff competition we will be facing but we are up to it. We have done our homework since 1999,” he said.
He added that the party needed the support of Batswana to realise its dreams of power.
BCP will be launching its election manifesto at political rallies in Ginger and Chris Hani Freedom Squares on Saturday and Sunday respectively. Koosaletse said that the manifesto would be launched at the same time with the election candidates. The theme of the manifesto is: “Botswana can, and must be better.” According to Koosaletse, the BCP believes that it is in a position to make Botswana better. “The ruling party has not done enough in poverty alleviation and in addressing other social problems and we are saying the time for change has come. In our manifesto, we aim to improve the poor service delivery that the BDP has also failed to improve,” he said.
Among other things that BCP says it would do when it comes to power is to create jobs by using local raw materials.
According to BCP’s Publicity Secretary Dumelang Saleshando, the party believes in partnership between the government and the private sector in creating jobs. He said that while BCP was in support of government’s efforts to market Botswana to foreign investors, they are concerned that local businesses are neglected.
“What we will do when we get power is to give equal attention to local businesses to help them grow instead of just inviting people from outside to invest here,” Saleshando said.
He claimed that the BCP membership has grown considerably in the past four years and thus they have reason to believe that they would take over power from the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP). He said it was unfortunate that veteran BCP members in Selebi-Phikwe, Benjamin Bagayi and Super Thipe have defected to BDP in protest over the handling of primary elections. “We have a procedure to follow when people complain and sometimes it takes a long time before these conflicts are settled and there was not much that we could do if people chose to leave,” he said.
The national launching of BCP’s council and parliamentary candidates will commence on March 6.
The party’s national congress where new office bearers will be elected is scheduled for Ramotswa during the Easter holidays. According to Koosaletse, the congress is supposed to have been held last July but it was pushed back to give candidates enough time to campaign.
