I�m not groomed for presidency � Dingake

Oarabile Mosikare | Wednesday June 25, 2014 06:59

 

Dingake said as BCP they believe that a leader must emerge from within the organisation. “It will be wrong in principle to earmark certain members of the party and groom them for leadership at the expense of equally capable members. I believe all must be given the full reign to prove themselves and their loyalty to the party,” said Dingake.

He explained that it should be the structures of the party that must then nominate names for leadership of the party given those people’s proven track record. 

“If, however, there have been members who have excelled on party assignments and purely on that account and no other, I see no reason why the party should not nurture such people as the embodiment of the future of the party. Speaking of myself, and in relation to the question of whether I am being groomed for the Party Presidency, I am not and neither am I aware of such efforts,” he said.

Explaining his new position, Dingake who is also a private attorney and a BCP Youth League spokesperson, said the overarching objective is to improve the party president’s visibility, communication, fast rebuttals and utilise opportunities that emerge to market him and the party. 

The spokesperson strives to publicise the BCP president, policies, programmes and services by placing news/feature items in press, radio and television outlets.  

He said: “In appropriate circumstances, I will be handling media interviews on his behalf and where he is unable to as a result of prior commitments. I will also direct social media teams to engage audiences across traditional and new media, respond to calls, interview requests, complaints and inquiries from the press in relation to the office of the president of the party and coordinate strategic visits of the president for launching of candidates and summarising his main message and sharing it with the nation.”

He disputed that his position is a duplication of other spokespersons of the party like the president, secretary for publicity, secretary general and the national campaign manager who are also the party’s spokespersons. 

“You must first of all appreciate that both the president, secretary general, his deputy (who is also the executive secretary) and publicity secretary are running full time campaigns in the constituencies in which they represent the party,” he said.  Dingake explained that as a result their core focus is on mobilising voters for the general elections later this year. 

He said: “They are therefore on the campaign trail for a considerable period of time, if not mobilising for themselves then launching candidates around the country. Invariably, certain of their core duties as elected officers of the party will be deliberately overlooked as we put all our energies and focus on the campaign.”

Dingake also explained that the national campaign manager fills that void by coordinating the overall campaign and demanding feedback from candidates on targets and anything that impedes the campaign process. 

Each of the candidates has targets and deliverables to achieve which have to be monitored continuously. 

“It is in this context that I do not see any duplication of roles,” he said.

He also said that he did not campaign for the job, as he was not aware of its existence. 

He said: “This is a new post. The Executive Committee nominated names and I understand they settled for me. I was only approached when my nomination was to be placed before the Executive Committee to consider and accept the nomination.”

He said he has served the party before, as far back as his university days. Together with other members of the party including his colleagues in the youth league he has been given many assignments. 

He asserted that the appointment speaks to the party vision and its commitment to empowering the youth who have served in party structures and committees diligently, loyally and with dedication. 

“It means the youth have a future in this party and those who excel when given assignments will be duly recognised and awarded. It’s a vote of confidence not just on me as an individual but on my generation and what it can offer to the party,” he said.