BPP holds crucial meeting in Francistown
Chakalisa Dube | Friday November 3, 2017 12:06
Prior to the meeting, the party will have a leadership forum. The party’s lower level leaders will also be part of tomorrow’s activities.
The party’s future within the UDC is expected to be the main item for discussion at tomorrow’s meeting that will be held at Setlalekgosi Junior Secondary School. Early last month the party decided to remain in the UDC while still assessing the viability of its options. The final decision on the party’s position in the UDC was to be taken at tomorrow’s meeting.
For sometime some BPP members have been calling for the party to leave the UDC and enter into a coalition with the newly formed Alliance for Progressives (AP). Others have strongly maintained a contrary position.
BPP president, Motlatsi Molapise appears closer to the AP and is said to be among those who have reportedly been lobbying other members not to join the UDC. His efforts have reportedly been frustrated by the majority of BPP executive and lower level leaders who reportedly hold a stern view that the party cannot thrive outside the coalition.
The UDC has allocated the BPP constituencies in the North East to contest at the 2019 general elections.
Molapise has often maintained that he cannot be part of the new UDC because the Botswana Congress Party (BCP) was not properly welcomed into the opposition coalition.
Out of sheer protest, Molapise who recently attended the AP launch in Gaborone, has shunned all UDC activities since the BCP came on board.
The BPP has also constantly expressed worry that the UDC leadership has been reluctant to respond to its demand to be allocated more constituencies to contest at the 2019 general elections.
“The general consensus is that we have a lot to gain from the UDC. We have slight differences with the UDC that can be easily resolved,” a senior party official said.
“We have had informal interactions (BPP leaders) and majority of the 19 members of the party executive are against quitting the UDC. The chances of quitting the UDC are close to nil. It is inevitable that members will not endorse a decision to quit the UDC at the weekend meeting.” Mmegi understands that the party will also make some recommendations to the UDC leadership that can enhance the opposition coalition.
One of the recommendations according to insiders will call on the coalition leadership to try to convince the AP to join the UDC.
“The weekend meeting will be a leadership forum. After the leadership forum we have another meeting where we will discuss general issues affecting the BPP including our current position within the UDC. I cannot go into specifics of the agenda involving internal party matters.
“Until members decide in the contrary I still maintain that the BPP remains committed to the UDC. We will be meeting UDC president, Duma Boko next week to close all pending issues within the UDC. We are really committed to the UDC,” BPP vice president Mbaakanyi Lenyatso said.
Lenyatso confirmed that the BPP wants the UDC to work with the AP. “The AP has a lot of credible people who as the BPP we believe are worth working with. They can help enhance the UDC we have to explore ways to work with them,” he said.