BCP, BNF push for database

Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Friday February 9, 2018 13:02

 

Botswana National Front (BNF) and Botswana Congress Party (BCP) held their individual party leadership forums contemporaneously in Moshupa and Palapye, at which delegates made resolutions that the UDC and their party conferences would be forced to debate in July and make final decisions. Although they had gathered at two different places, their resolutions bore similarities on some pertinent issues.

One of the issues that the two parties agreed on was that UDC cannot go on without having a proper database of all its affiliates and the issue of constituencies that are currently held by the new-kid-on-the-block, Alliance for Progressives, to be discussed and that the UDC president be given powers.

Amongst the powers proposed are that he should be able to call National Executive Committee (NEC) meetings and suspend members. The UDC is scheduled to hold its first congress by the end of this month.

According to a source in the party, BNF members have resolved that it has compromised a lot in the 2014 general elections by giving away some of its stronghold constituencies to Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD)  and now it is time the party proves if it has structures in constituencies or not.

“We cannot keep on campaigning for people when they don’t have structures and councillors on the ground. Parties should not hesitate to bring their databases if they have numbers, no matter how big or small. Each party should have structures in place.

“We have agreed that parties should not be done any favours and if the others do not qualify then they would be observers at the congress, which means that they would not take part in congress deliberations,” the source said. The source said the other issue was that of the UDC constitution, which calls for one delegate standing for every 750 members.

Recently UDC vice president, Dumelang Saleshando told Mmegi that the UDC NEC has agreed that each party should bring 10 delegates per constituency instead of one delegate for every 750 members per constitution. “The NEC wants all parties to have equal representation. Only two parties had managed to submit.

The deadline for submission of delegates is February 9, 2018. Our congress is end of this month,” he said.

The UDC constitution Clause 11.2.2 says: “Each group member in good standing with the Umbrella, is entitled to send one delegate for every 750 members or part thereof provided that the majority of these delegates are members of their organisation”. BCP spokesperson, Dithapelo Keorapetse said they have discussed some internal issues and have taken decisions on them and how they would engage other affiliates of the UDC.

“We can’t reveal those issues to the media because they are not meant for the public, but for the UDC internal processes,” Keorapetse said. 

BNF spokesperson Justin Hunyepa said: “We can’t share the issues that were discussed at our leadership forum with the media. All recommendations made will be discussed by the central committee and final ones would be shared with all. Again, our conference will deliberate on them to make final binding resolutions”.