Masisi Admits To Bulela Ditswe Teething Problems
Cavin Kanoko | Monday June 11, 2018 13:29
When addressing the BDP members at their extraordinary congress held in Gaborone under the theme ‘Unity and inclusivity towards a prosperous Botswana - 2019 and beyond’, Masisi said Political Education and Elections Commission (PEEC) has reported cases in some constituencies where branches and interested parties engage in unfair practices that register only those members perceived to support or favour particular candidates.
“To resolve these matters, PEEC will supervise the conduct of open mass registration exercises at these constituencies to ensure that all are accorded equal opportunity to register. Proper membership registration and sanitisation of the voters’ roll is critical to the conduct of free and fair elections and we must safeguard and ensure sanctity of our internal electoral systems and processes,” Masisi said.
He said the 39 BDP-held constituencies are deemed strongholds of the party and are likely to attract a large number of contestants in the primaries because of better prospects of winning the general elections on the party ticket.
He continued: “Regrettably, previous fortunes in these areas have turned out to brew more controversy and contestation from unsuccessful contestants. Therefore, I plead with you to accept in principle that even with the above efforts to achieve free and fair elections in an election, there can only be one winner”.
He urged the members not to allow their personal aspirations and prospects of office to derail them from the objectives and principles they have sworn allegiance to. The President said they had discussed findings and recommendations of the Peter Siele report of 2013 and adherence to it will assist them in pursuing post-electoral stability of the party.
Masisi also urged BDP members to focus on the foresight and to articulate their opinions about how the future should be shaped.
He encouraged BDP members to place issues such as unemployment, creating a conducive environment for commercial enterprise and the profitable use of land resources in their political discourse and find solutions to challenges people face in the country. He asked them to openly discuss the policies.