BPP to remain in UDC, but...
Chakalisa Dube | Tuesday October 10, 2017 18:00
Mmegi has leant that at the weekend meeting, the BPP national executive committee resolved to remain in the “old” UDC, and not one with the new set up which has the BCP in the coalition.
The decision would not come as a surprise to many as the BPP language of recent had been strong against Duma Boko lead UDC.
The BPP has always maintained that it is not part of the new UDC, which has the BCP in the fold.
Ahead of the weekend meeting it was thought that the BPP would ditch the UDC and subsequently join the newly formed Alliance for Progressives (AP). Some influential BPP leaders among them president Motlatsi Molapise are known to be sympathisers of the Ndaba Gaolathe’s still to be launched AP.
“Although we are not happy with the way the UDC has handled our grievances we will feel that it is vital to remain in the coalition. We decided that we should continue raising our grievances from within and aim for an amicable solution.
“We have a leadership forum later this month where we will possible discuss how we can best resolve our differences with our UDC partners depending on the prevailing circumstances. At the forum we will also come up with other suggestions that can help us sustain the coalition,” said a BPP insider who was part of the weekend meeting.
The BPP has stayed away from the “new” UDC insisting that the BCP “was not properly welcomed” into the opposition coalition. The BPP officials have also shunned all the meetings held by the new UDC.
The BPP has also often expressed worry that the UDC leadership has been reluctant respond to its demand to be allocated more constituencies to contest at the 2019 general elections.
During the weekend meeting, the BPP also reportedly resolved that the names of the four people who are supposed to be part of the UDC executive should be endorsed at a leadership forum billed for the first week of November.
Molapise, former secretary general Shatiso Tambula and party spokesperson Tshepho Makhani are among the four.
A Francistown based attorney whose names are still not known by Mmegi will reportedly form part the of BPP representatives in the UDC executive.
The BPP has in the past indicated that it will only submit the four names to the UDC only when the BCP has been properly welcomed into the coalition, a stance reiterated by Makhani yesterday.
“The issue of leaving the UDC was not the main issue in our agenda. The main subject of our agenda was the revival of the party structures,” Makhani insisted. He added, “We have always maintained that we are part of the old UDC and nothing has changed”.