BPP to decide on UDC membership
Chakalisa Dube | Thursday September 28, 2017 09:49
The development comes amid speculation that majority BPP leaders, amongst them president Motlatsi Molapise, are contemplating affiliating with the newly established Alliance for Progressives (AP).
Molapise has in recent times showed too much affection towards members of the AP, which is led by Ndaba Gaolathe.
Yesterday, Molapise confirmed that the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting billed for October will decide the future of the party.
“We still maintain that we remain part of the old UDC.
At the October meeting, we will make a determination as to whether we remain part of the old UDC or join the new UDC,” he said.
The BPP has openly shunned the new UDC, which the Botswana Congress Party (BCP) is a member of.
BPP, which is considered a ‘light weight’ in the UDC, insists 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.
On the other hand, Molapise and other UDC leaders who differ with president Duma Boko on the BCP subject, recently organised their own executive meeting in Gaborone.
“If the BPP NEC feels that we have to join a new party or remain as a sole entity we will go that route.
However, it is important to note that all the decisions taken at the meeting will be taken to members through various platforms. Members will choose to endorse such decisions or not before the leadership could implement them,” Molapise told Mmegi yesterday.
For some time, Molapise has been openly critical of the BCP inclusion in the UDC.
The BPP has also made demands to be allocated additional constituencies to contest at the 2019 general elections, but the UDC is yet to act on them. The non-action by the UDC leaders is also reportedly amongst the reasons some members of the BPP want to ditch the coalition.
“Instead of taking any of the options I have articulated earlier on, there is a possibility that we may go back to the UDC to enquire as why they have not dealt with our concerns and then act based on their response,” he said.