BCP members to discuss cooperation this weekend

Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Friday October 16, 2015 17:23

The issue has divided the party members. Mmegi has learnt that there are some members of the BCP who are already lobbying others within the party to reject the proposal that will be presented by party leaders.

“The central committee members have been allocated different regions that they will be addressing on revival of party structures and cooperation with UDC. We have members who do not want cooperation with UDC,” a BCP source said.

The source said their reasons are that their ideology with UDC is different since BCP believes in social democracy and the UDC does not.

“The other reasons is that UDC members had lied about BCP president Dumelang Saleshando alleging that he has businesses with some Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) members. Some BCP diehards are angry because the UDC leadership peddled a lie that the BCP withdrew from the UDC project,’ said the source.

The group, which is mobilising some regions to reject proposal by party leaders, are said to be busy phoning their members around so that they convince others. He said their strategy is different since they do not tour the areas. Rather, they had agreed to mobilise people through phone calls.

The BCP spokesperson Dithapelo Keorapetse confirmed that their party leadership would be addressing party members in different regions over the weekend on internal party issues.

“Of course party president will address members for all Gaborone regions. The decision to address party members was taken by BCP executive committee and some of the issues that will be discussed include cooperation with other opposition parties, revival of party structures, party fund raising and how some of the resolutions taken at Kanye congress could be implemented,” said Keorapetse.

He said the issues would be discussed internally and only BCP members would be allowed.

Keorapetse however refused to comment on members who are lobbying against party cooperation. He said they could not block or take action against members who express their views through constitutional party structures. Already the BCP leadership has taken a stand that they want cooperation and it had started cooperating with UDC at by elections.