Of billboards, buses and debates
| Thursday October 23, 2014 16:37
Getting people to go out and vote for a party depends on the strength of that party’s ground game. This includes the party’s ability to ensure that its members and sympathisers register to vote, sustaining their interest throughout the campaign period and ensuring that they physically go to the polling stations on polling day. This requires organisation and resources.
The BDP knows how to win elections. Their election machine started rolling even as they were preparing for the primaries last year. They made a statement early in the year by putting up billboards in all the 57 constituencies prominently displayed at strategic points. In a show of force that must have sent a chilling effect down the spine of the opposition the BDP dispatched about 60 new vehicles for the campaign. The party was sending a strong message about their intention and determination to stay in power.
The BDP did not leave anything to chance. They even engaged an international consulting firm to help them with refining and executing their strategy. Their war-chest included the use of media advertising which the party used quite effectively. Add to that the free advertising and publicity that they get from the State media as it follows the President around wherever he goes on official and party functions. The series of star rallies they held around the country over the last two months, most of which were addressed by the party president, is testimony to the organisation, forward planning and purposefulness of the BDP.
Not to be outdone, the Botswana Congress Party (BCP) also ran an effective and sustained campaign. Like the BDP their branding was effective and projected an image about the party which is consistent with what it stands for. The BCP’s tag-line “Ready to Lead” and the call “#bring back our jobs”, which they displayed prominently on their campaign material, found resonance with many people and actually became a rallying cry for the party’s faithful as elections’ day approached.
But most importantly, the BCP made the strongest showing in the parliamentary candidates debates on Gabz FM and Radio Botswana compared to the other parties. By far the BCP candidates had more substance and their message was consistent. Unlike others, BCP candidates articulated their party’s policies as opposed to their own personal viewpoints. They managed to explain very clearly their policy positions as enunciated in their manifesto. They were also able to differentiate their policies from those of their opponents’ parties effectively. On the other hand, the UDC campaign was off to a halting start. There was a sense of uncertainty as issues of leadership and the status of the party awaited resolution by the courts. This was not helped by the bad publicity surrounding the UDC leader, Duma Boko, regarding allegations by the BDP’s Secretary General, Mpho Balopi, that he wanted to defect to the ruling party.
It must be borne in mind that the BDP views the UDC as the greatest threat in this election not least because of the BNF nationwide following which can potentially turn the tables on polling day. Hence, the BDP would do anything to derail the Umbrella’s campaign. One cannot completely discount the allegations that even the court cases referred to above instituted by disaffected members of the BNF were funded by the ruling party. As fate would have it, the UDC campaign got a shot in the arm from the tragedy of the untimely death in July of their former Vice President, Gomolemo Motswaledi. The party effectively leveraged the goodwill generated by the public’s collective sympathy for Motswaledi’s family and comrades. Since the charismatic leader’s demise the UDC campaign bounced back with a vengeance and gained momentum as it became probably the most talked about party in social media and in public.
Riding on the crest of that wave the mammoth rally to launch Duma Boko three weeks ago in Gaborone added oomph and urgency to the party’s campaign. As polling day approached the party’s bus-ride road show generated much excitement in the countryside. Umbrella enthusiasts were stirred into a frenzy as they recited “iNdaba yam i’straight” and “Duma re a dumalana” branded on their campaign buses. It is yet to be seen if the apparent popularity of the party will translate into votes for the UDC.