BCP Members Give UDC Talks Thumbs Up
Spira Tlhankane | Monday November 9, 2015 18:00
Briefing the media yesterday, the party president Dumelang Saleshando said the leadership undertook a nationwide consultative exercise last month seeking an unconditional mandate to engage the UDC on the issue of cooperation.
“It was necessary to seek the buy in of the party membership and our principle of internal democratic decision making, a virtue we committed ourselves to when forming the BCP,” he said.
Saleshando said the central committee on Saturday met in Palapye and adopted two resolutions emanating from the report of the regional consultations. “The BCP would enter into an agreement with UDC confirming our cooperation in all by-elections that will be held between now and 2019 general elections,” he said.
Saleshando added that the central committee adopted the draft memorandum of agreement presented to the leadership of the UDC for their consideration and signing by the two parties in the near future.
Saleshando also announced that the national executive committee (NEC) would formally request the UDC leadership to engage in cooperation talks with the BCP at the earliest convenient time. “The BCP leadership confirms that it is ready to commence with the talks and will formally approach the UDC to agree on a mutually convenient timetable for the talks,” he said.
He said the opposition parties’ cooperation has been a cardinal issue the party has been seized with for some time. Saleshando said the present political reality is that after 11 successive BDP victories since independence, the recent voting patterns show that majority of the voters preferred opposition. “Most Batswana rejected the BDP at the last general elections but the split vote between the UDC and us allowed the unpopular BDP to remain in power,” he said.
Saleshando noted that the BCP and UDC represent the aspirations of the majority of voters. “For this majority to deliver a new government that will positively respond to the challenges of our time, there is a need to collaborate with a view of presenting ourselves as a single block in the future elections with a clear and coherent programme,” he said.
Saleshando pleaded with BCP members to maintain focus on the need to put building blocks for cooperation in place in the coming months and allow the leadership of the two organisations to engage each other in a cordial manner. “With internal consultations now concluded, this coming phase requires all who make public pronouncements to respect our negotiating partners”. He said any statements that seek to belittle the UDC or its leadership will not be tolerated.