BPP revival gathers momentum - Marobela

LEKOPANYE MOOKETSI
Correspondent | Friday April 16, 2010 00:00

The central committee has since embarked on a number of projects to rejuvenate the country's oldest political movement.The party is also going to revert to its old methods of staging demonstrations, party officials have announced.

Talking about some of their achievements, BPP president Wynter Marobela revealed that they are about to develop their plot in Francistown where. they are going to put up a double-storey structure.

The party will occupy one wing while the other will be reserved for developers. They are also going to let out offices and shops on the premises that is to include a filling station.   He revealed that the project will cost around P7 million. 

He said they have entered into a 25-year lease agreement with the developers.

Marobela said when the building is completed, they will invite other political parties for the official opening. 

He said they have also revitalised a few party structures, which are now functioning.  He said they are going to hold a mini conference in Masunga on April 24 to map the way forward.

Marobela said they are determined to win back members who have deserted the party.  He explained that there are areas in which the BPP still has a strong following. 

'The preliminary research that we have conducted shows that people are still waiting for the BPP.  We want to reach out to areas where we used to have massive support like Mochudi, Tlokweng and Gantsi,' he said.

The BPP leader said during the mini conference, they would also appoint interim committees for both the women's wing and the youth league. 

He said they have already held three workshops at which they discussed strategies for the revival of the party. 

Although it is seen in some quarters to be moribund, Marobela asserted that BPP still has much potential as a government-in-waiting.  'We will surprise a lot of people,' he declared.

Meanwhile, Marobela said the BPP would embark on mass mobilisation campaigns to express the party's opposition to the 12 percent value added tax (VAT).

'We are not going to stage violent demonstrations;  our demonstrations will be peaceful to sensitise the people,' he said.The party is concerned that consumers are going to be the hardest hit by the two percent increase.

Marobela stated that the increased VAT is going to erode workers' purchasing power. 

He said another issue that they are going to demonstrate against is the government's fight against alcohol,  noting that they do not condone alcohol abuse, but they are against the strategy that the government has implemented.

He said they are against the proposal that the government is going to license people who sell Chibuku from their homes.  He argued that once such restrictions are put in place, people would not have any means of survival. 

He said even during the colonial days, the government did not allow Batswana to sell liquor in order to protect licensed foreign liquor companies in the country.

The BPP official said they have mobilised Chibuku traders to join them during the demonstration against the stringent liquor laws.

Marobela said another issue that they are going to address is the awarding of tenders for the new police uniform. 

Marobela's committee took over the BPP leadership after the October 16, 2009 general election. 

This followed the resignation of former party president Bernard Balikani following the party's dismal performance at the polls.

During last year's general election, BPP only manage to win a paltry three council seats out of the 39 that it had contested. 

The party contested six parliamentary seats but did not win any.