UDC engages experts for 2019 general election
Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Friday July 20, 2018 14:52
This publication has learnt that experts have told UDC that it needs millions for it to win the 2019 general elections. Over the weekend at their conference, Boko told members to raise funds or resources to win. He told Botswana National Front (BNF) members in Rakops that the experts have told them that there were three types of election campaigns that have no prospects of winning any election.
“The first of these is a campaign that does not have a persuasive message to deliver to the voters and lacks a clear idea of which voters it wants to persuade. “While the second campaign has a concise strategy, persuasive message and a clear idea of the voters it wants to persuade, but lacks a reasonable plan of what to do between Election Day to persuade those voters,” Boko said.
“This type of campaign wastes time and money as it wanders aimlessly towards Election Day. The third kind of campaign is one that has a clear message, a clear idea of its voters and a plan to get to Election Day, but fails to follow through on the plan, not doing the hard work day-after-day to get elected.
This is a lazy campaign that makes excuses as to why it cannot do what it knows must be done,” Boko said. He said they must run a campaign for 2019 that takes time to target voters, develop a persuasive message and follow through on a reasonable plan to contact those voters directly.
Boko told BNF members that the kind of campaign they need requires resources and without enough resources, they would not run winning campaigns. He urged each region to conduct intensive research into a number of issues presented by experts like w the characteristics of the voters, the main factors affecting this election, and the strengthens and weaknesses of each viable opponent. On other issues, Boko admitted that they have received numerous reports and complaints both formally and informally on their primary elections.
“Many people are aggrieved and disgruntled. We need to reflect soberly and very carefully on our recent experiences and provide lasting solutions to enhance the credibility of our elections.
“One of the troubling issues, which the central committee recently had to pronounce on, is the issue of vetting. Many of our constituencies seem to have not quite understood the entire process and the procedures for vetting.
The broad principles are very easy to understand. Vetting amounts to a determination of eligibility of lack thereof in relation to a candidate. It is a process that may result in adverse decisions against individuals,” he said.
He said the central committee had no difficulty in pronouncing that all the vetting processes that had taken place at that time were improper and illegal for their failure to afford those affected a fair hearing.