UDC ready to take war to the BDP

Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Monday March 25, 2024 05:59

The two founding opposition parties have remained steadfast to the UDC course while other parties have come and gone. Now, after being joined by new members, being the Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF) and Alliance for Progressives (AP), the UDC is coming up with all its arsenal to try and remove the BDP from power almost 60 years since independence.

The opposition bloc takes great pleasure in having made significant contributions to Botswana's democracy and in having some of their resolutions and suggestions accepted by the government, despite the fact that they have never taken the reins of power. Some of the issues that the BNF and BPP as individual parties pushed for and were adopted include the establishment of the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC), proposing that the voting age be lowered from 21 to 18 years, the introduction of the old age pension and the establishment of Botswana Defence Force (BDF).

In its 2019 manifesto, the UDC proposed issuing of laptops and tablets to schools around the country. To its credit, the BDP as a ruling party has managed to take these proposals and make them laws and policies. All these programs in place, both the ruling and the opposition bloc continue to campaign with each claiming ownership.

The UDC believes that the 2019 manifesto proposals are still relevant and they will continue to use them as campaign tool in addition to fighting what they believe is election rigging by the ruling party. Furthermore, UDC spokesperson Moeti Mohwasa said some of the successes they brought include introduction of national currency, Pula, labour reforms and the establishment and consolidation of trade union movements in Botswana, declaration of May day as a public holiday, free education, though not yet 100% free and as well as galvanising people to fight the ruling party as one block to strengthen democracy.

“On the international front we have influenced a number of policies and actions. One of the things we have unapologetically embraced is internationalism. We have done the following; assisted liberation movements in the region for example Frelimo, ANC, SWAPO and ZAPU. Have been in solidarity with the people of Palestine, Western Sahara, Eswatini and other oppressed people,” Mohwasa said. He, however, said the UDC is busy working on its manifesto and its culture as a people’s project. Mohwasa said they will be engaging in external consultations with different stakeholders.

In 2019, UDC centered its main message of creating a 100,000 jobs and increasing salaries and allowances amongst other things. Recently, Selebi-Phikwe West legislator, Dithapelo Keorapetse said tertiary education students at Education Colleges, Institutes of Health Sciences, Technical Colleges and Universities should be getting an allowance of at least P2, 500 per month. He also said the UDC holds a firm believe that sanitary pads should be provided freely to women and girls especially in schools. “We will completely abolish pink tax.

We are of an unwavering opinion that all Batswana must have health care insurance scheme commonly known as medical aid. Unemployment benefit scheme or fair entitlement guarantee scheme for workers is guaranteed under the UDC and provision of unemployment stipend for the unemployed will be provided,” he said. He said the UDC promises a comprehensive debt relief plan for Batswana who are currently deluged by debt and abolishing civil imprisonment for genuine failure to pay debt. Meanwhile, political analyst Adam Mfundisi said the UDC stands a better a chance to take state power looking at its promises.

On the other, he believes the BDP government has run out of ideas on how to transform the country and at the same time contain, control, and mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic to the economy, society, health, and polity. Mfundisi also said the current administration has presided over rampant corruption and maladministration. Poverty, unemployment, inequality, criminality, and other social ills have worsened. He stated that the BDP government has no vision, strategy, and objectives to solve these serious problems while the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated these problems because of poor and ineffective leadership.

The BDP government, he said, does not have creative, innovative, and flexible policies to effectively deal with the pandemic, while a narcissistic approach to dealing with the pandemic was crafted. In his view, the BDP priorities during the surge in the COVID-19 cases were misguided and driven by corruption, He mentioned that instead, the party resorted to a partisan approach to dealing with the pandemic thereby marginalising critical stakeholders such as opposition political parties. Mfundisi said the BDP government in dealing with the pandemic ignored proposals and recommendations from other important actors in the event weaponising the pandemic to popularise the BDP and its leadership. “Moreover, the ruling elite used the COVID-19 pandemic as a leverage to plunder the state purse through massive corruption in tendering and procurement of health goods and services”.

But he said the UDC has proven to be a potent political force which presented a progressive and a strategic vision for Botswana. He stated that since a coalition of social democratic forces emerged before the 2014 general election, it has proven to be a formidable political force, adding that the 2014 and 2019 general elections were the most competitive ever in the history of Botswana. In comparison, Mfundisi said the UDC’s 2019 manifesto was second to none in Botswana.

He said the UDC five-pillared manifesto was anchored on 'Change For Progress' and covered critical socio-economic, political, technological, and environmental issues and solutions while the BDP manifesto was the weakest hence the leadership adopted a cult of personality and elevated President Mokgweetsi Masisi to a Messiah. Mfundisi said the UDC possesses good political leadership skills and have effective communicators and are emphatic to the plight of the majority of citizens. In his view, the UDC Members of Parliament (MPs), despite their numbers in Parliament, have had a sterling performance. “The BDP numerical strengths have been overpowered by the qualitative power of opposition MPs. The BDP backbenchers have been relegated to cheer-leading role devoid of any substantive influence over the Executive.