UDC holds back
Mompati Tlhankane | Tuesday January 31, 2023 06:00
But it was all ceasefire as UDC leaders held back a bit and the gun was instead turned to the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP).
The infighting in the UDC between coalition, partners Botswana National Front (BNF) and Botswana Congress Party (BCP) started last year and led to the fall out between Saleshando and UDC president Duma Boko.
The UDC Saturday rally was held just a day before BCP’s rally on Sunday. But that Saturday morning before the UDC rally, Saleshando was busy on the other side of Maun where he was hosting a medical outreach.
But Boko who was the keynote speaker at the UDC rally in Maun told the area residents that afternoon indicating that the UDC is not about petty issues but was in Maun to effect regime change. “We are talking about resolving problems.
We deal with trivial issues unhurriedly. We solve them with caution at the right pace,” he said. Boko said it doesn’t matter that the constituency is currently under the UDC but a lot had to be done to make sure that they win both parliamentary and council seats. “We should take power because we want your problems to be solved. There is no one in Maun or anywhere else in Botswana who can break UDC apart,” he said.
He told Maun residents that there should never put their hopes on anyone. Boko emphasized that every BCP member is still a member of the UDC. For his part, Leader of Opposition (LoO) and Selebi-Phikwe West legislator Dithapelo Keorapetse said they are not about fighting but they are after regime change. He said Maun people should know that recent history across the world shows that party unity helps when it comes to regime change.
He said people who want to postpone regime change are enemies of progress. He pointed out that he didn’t take anyone’s position like it is alleged. “People go around twisting facts. We are labelled as traitors because we refused to insult and disrespect UDC in public,” he said. UDC chairman and Botswana People’s Party (BPP) president, Motlatsi Molapise said people’s fate lie in their own hands ahead of the 2024 General Election.
He said they should not depend on Boko nor follow Saleshando as he asks people to leave the UDC. “The power of regime change is all on you,” he further told Maun residents.