Guma preaches peace to democrats
Pini Bothoko | Wednesday August 20, 2014 13:00
Guma said this last weekend at the Semotswane freedom square when launching the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) council candidate for Semotswane, Peter Williams, who is also the Chairperson of Tonota Sub-District Council.
He said that most of the party candidates lose focus by failing to present themselves to the electorate and instead spend most of their time attacking their opponents with petty issues.
“In this constituency, take the example of the issue of the current MP for this area Pono Moatlhodi. He lost in the primary elections and decided to join another party. Therefore this is the time you should strengthen your campaigns by convincing the electorate by presenting yourselves and your party manifesto.
“Please stop attacking him in your rallies as well as in other campaigns,” advised Guma.
Guma said that when Moatlhodi was with BDP, there were things that he succeeded in and those he failed in, but if he is dismissed and labelled a failure, it means the party and government that he was working under was the one failing.
“Trust me, the more you talk about your opponent the more you lose focus and run out of good ideas to present to the electorate to vote for your party, “ he said.
Guma said defectors should be allowed to leave as they will realise their mistake and come back, adding that democrats should not create a hostile environment for returning members.
“Remember I once defected from BDP to BMD (Botswana Movement for Democracy). During that time I did not talk bad about BDP because I knew that one day I might want to come back. Now I am back in the BDP fold and life is good because I never attacked them,” said Guma.
He said that the advice should apply to those who have defected from their previous parties to the BDP and vice versa because “no one knows what tomorrow might bring”.
“Do not burn bridges. Always create a welcoming room when leaving, as you can see today there are lots of children listening to us. We should not teach them that BDP is a party of petty issues but a party that cares about people’s lives.
“These are tomorrow’s leaders and should grow up knowing that Botswana is a democratic country, Therefore you should be careful of the seed that you plant in these children,” said Guma.