BCP goes solo at Bophirima
Mompati Tlhankane | Monday March 14, 2022 12:53
The Central Committee has also revealed that its decision however, doesn’t mark the official withdrawal of BCP from the coalition UDC, an umrella party they are contracted to.
Addressing the media on Monday, BCP secretary general (SG) Goretetse Kekgonegile said this decision was meant to mark the beginning of a resolute stand against unilateralism and dictatorship in the UDC. This comes after the UDC released a press statement announcing Mankie Sekete of the Botswana National Front (BNF) as the UDC candidate for the upcoming by-election in Bophirima ward.
Kekgonegile who is a Member of Parliament (MP) for Maun East said as the BCP they were not consulted when UDC took the decision to declare Sekete therefore, they do not recognise the latter as a UDC candidate. “As far as we are concerned there is no UDC candidate. Sekete is a BNF candidate using the UDC symbol”.
Kekgonegile said as difficult as it was to arrive at such a decision as the BCP, they won’t be violating any principle within the UDC memorandum of agreement by fielding its own candidate. He said among the many reasons they are going with their candidate under the BCP symbol is because the UDC logo and symbol are housed under BNF therefore, they don’t have access to the above.
He said there have never been consultations and there was never any decision on who is the UDC candidate. Kekgonegile said UDC leader Duma Boko has spurned all efforts to convene a NEC meeting to discuss the ward.
He clarified that this decision does not mean the BCP is leaving the UDC coalition. “We are a fully fledged members of the UDC. We are not there yet. We still have hope that the UDC can work,” he indicated.
Kekgonegile also revealed that there is no governance at UDC and they are operating like the same party they want to remove from government. He outlined that there are no consultations and communication in the UDC thus the party is undemocratic and does not respect its own constitution.
He said there is no way the decision to field Mogapi under the BCP ticket in the upcoming by-election can attract a disciplinary action from the UDC leadership. He said as much as this decision is likely to split votes and give BDP advantage, as the central committee they didn’t have any other choice.