BMD names leadership

EPHRAIM KEORENG
Staff Writer | Thursday April 29, 2010 00:00

Speculation was rife that Gomolemo Motswaledi, former ruling party Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) secretary general would be the chairperson of the new party.

In a press interview on Tuesday in Gaborone, Motswaledi quashed this rumour when he named the new leadership. He also revealed that he has since joined the BMD after resigning from BDP.

During a question and answer session Motswaledi said that while Ntuane is the executive committee chairperson, Kabo Morwaeng is deputising him.  The spokesperson of the committee, Motswaledi has revealed, is advocate Sidney Pilane.

The new party is largely made up of BDP politicians who were at the forefront of a faction called Barata-Phathi within the ruling party. Motswaledi said besides the trio, there are close to 20 people who are also members of the interim executive committee of the emerging party.

'These even include all the MPs that you have identified with this party before, especially those who attended the Mogoditshane meeting where we put in action plans to form this (BMD) party,' he said.

Motswaledi's resignation follows closely on the heels of his friend and party colleague, Ndaba Gaolathe barely four days ago. Gaolathe has also joined the BMD. Motswaledi predicts that the exodus from the BDP will continue, though it will not be massive.

'It will trickle. Batswana are modest people. They are not revolutionary people who would move out at once,' he said.

Though he could not be drawn into saying how different BMD will be from the ruling party ideologically, Motswaledi pointed out that 'there would be some changes'.

Motswaledi's announcement means that BDP chairman, Daniel Kwelagobe who has been the long time leader of Barata-Phathi is not the leader of the new party as had been rumoured in some quarters. 'He is not chairman of the BMD. I am sure he received my resignation letter (from BDP) as chairman of the BDP,' said Motswaledi. 

In a passionate statement, Motswaledi said he associates with his Barata-Phathi friends, who are being persecuted at the hands of a cleansing project hosted and administered by the BDP itself. 'Friends that are being pushed away from a party they loved and worked for many years. These are friends who understand and appreciate the true democratic creed. These are friends who know that a process of a people's democratic synthesis is born out of contending theses.

These are friends whose patriotic spirit is unimpeachable; friends whose ground continue to appeal to workers of our nation, to the unemployed, the professional, the youth and learners of our beloved country, to the ordinary people in their humble homes, in their fields and cattle posts and to people within and without the country.

 These friends are spread all over the structures of the Botswana Democratic Party. I am happy to announce that, at around 1100hrs this morning (Tuesday) I tendered an official note pronouncing my resignation from the Botswana Democratic Party,' he said.