AP Target 5,000 Underway

Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Monday February 1, 2021 15:54

The Alliance for Progressives (AP) has come up with a model called AP Target 5,000 in which people are requested to contribute at least P500 for a year. The party believes that it would be able to raise money, which could help it navigate and survive beyond COVID-19. Parties depend largely on membership subscription, councillors and Members of Parliament (MP) subscriptions to run all party activities, pay employees and rental.

“This is an initiative motivated by the fact that during the COVID-19 era we cannot traditionally raise funds. The aim of this is simply for the sustainability of the party because we cannot fold our arms without coming up with strategies of how the party could keep on surviving. Mind you, the general election is in 2024 and we also have to be ready financially. If political funding was there, it was going to help us in times like this. We have to be strong and consolidate going forward as a party,” AP secretary general, Phenyo Butale said on Saturday. He said the P500 once-off contribution is more reasonable than asking members to keep on contributing P200 monthly because most people have lost their jobs due to the deadly disease.

Butale said despite holding normal rallies, other party activities are continuing like the membership drive.  He continued: “For example, technology has helped us to hold meetings and the same way could be used for the membership drive and other things. Therefore, the party needs some resources to be able to be visible even during COVID-19 without physically meeting members. Slowly our members and other people are getting used to the new lifestyle even if it is expensive because it requires one to have bundles or internet for him or her to work effectively.”

He said their aim is to raise P2,500,000.