BDP to decide on National Council
Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Friday February 12, 2021 16:36
By the look of things, life will never be normal again until a solution is found.
As things stand, it is not clear whether the BDP will hold its National Council this year. This will be the second time the council meeting is postponed should it not be take place.
Mmegi has learnt that the party’s communication committee has proposed a virtual meeting to the central committee. The National Council, which is normally held in March is the body the party entrusted with reviewing the implementation of party policies. Usually motions and policies passed at the National Council are adopted by the party congress. That is where the Ministers are normally made to account and explain certain policies, or how they could be changed to help Batswana.
“The reason why the communication committee wants the council to be held virtually is for some Ministers to account for their Ministries. Motions from constituencies or party structures do help the party a lot in terms of unity, reconciliation and even comes up with strategies on how the party could still be relevant. Our party has been facing a lot of challenges and it has also lost some members to opposition parties. Normally the National Council helps a lot in terms like this because some structures like Council of Elders do advise. At times the Council helps to change certain decisions that the party has taken,” a source said. Another source further revealed that if it could become impossible for National Council to be held virtually, then that will be a sign that even the congress will not be held this year.
The source said their worry is that issues that are normally discussed at the congress are the ones that were passed by the council. “It is important for party leadership to be voted. The Central Committee needs our mandate. It cannot operate the way it used to be in 2018.
Lot of things have changed and therefore they need hear our views and counsel as members. During hard times like this, the party leadership needs advice of members because we are the ones who work the ground and do campaigns,” the source said. However BDP secretary general, Mpho Balopi in an interview on Wednesday did not give hope that the ruling party will hold the important meeting this year. Balopi said many institutions, organisations, businesses and Batswana in general have postponed many very important activities because of the pandemic facing the country and the world. “Policies and programmes of the BDP-led government are evaluated on an ongoing basis, presentation of progressive Bills in Parliament by Ministers address some of the most much-needed adjustments in policies, Acts etc. For example the so called Floor-Crossing Bill, Declaration of Asserts Bill were some of the progressive laws that we enacted without necessarily holding a National Council. The Central Committee carries out consultations on an ongoing basis within confines of the COVID-19 protocols and give feedback,” he said.