Masisi urges democrats to behave
Chakalisa Dube | Tuesday April 19, 2016 16:01
Speaking at the launch of the BDP’s Phillip Matante East by-election candidate Peter Nare over the weekend, Masisi acknowledged that the differences among party members is causing instability.
Just over a week ago, the Francistown East legislator Ignatius Moswaane and the party’s Francistown South chairperson, Ford Moiteela, were involved in a fistfight, over aspects of campaign procedures.
Masisi warned that if democrats did not come to their senses and discipline themselves, they risked losing respect as well as trust from right thinking members of the society.
The BDP leader, who is also the country’s vice president, said opposition parties would capitalise on the unbecoming behaviour of some democrats to win elections.
“You should respect the BDP brand. You should not be seen to be doing odd things in public. BDP members should not be seen walking the street drunk in party colours.
“Where there are differences among party members they should be resolved in a cordial manner. When you have rubbed a fellow party member the wrong way you should apologise wholeheartedly.
“The BDP brand is big and attracts a lot of attention which is why it deserves respect,” said Masisi. Masisi also urged BDP members to work hard to wrestle the ward from the hands of the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) who also enjoy the support of the Botswana Congress Party (BCP) leading into the by-election.
“In fact we should get used to working hard so that the party can maintain its competitive edge over its rivals. We should invest a lot of time in house-to-house campaigns and recruit more members across the country especially in opposition strongholds.
“We should not to some extent be deceived by people who attend rallies and believe that we have numbers because usually a rally is attended by people from different areas,” he said. Masisi is confident that the BDP will win the weekend by-election.