BMD NEC requests UDC recognition
Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Wednesday September 27, 2017 10:46
The troubled BMD has endured months of friction between two warring factions led by Gaolathe and Sidney Pilane, but last week, Gaolathe’s team left to form a new party called Alliance for Progressives (AP).
Yesterday, highly placed insiders said the BMD now wanted to start participating in UDC meetings and activities. The BMD had not been attending UDC NEC meetings because it had submitted two parallel national executive committees for recognition by the opposition bloc.
“The BMD has asked UDC to recognise their national executive committee because the people with whom they were supposed to negotiate power-sharing, have left the party,” a party insider told Mmegi.
The BMD NEC met on Monday to respond to a recent UDC verdict that proposed power-sharing between the rival factions.
The request for recognition was part of the response, according to insiders. While BMD spokesperson Rasina Rasina confirmed a response was sent to the UDC NEC, he declined to divulge its details.
“It will be unfair to share the details of our response with the media before the UDC NEC even receives the letter,” Rasina said.
Other sources, however, say the Pilane team response states that the group was ready to discuss power-sharing with the Gaolathe team.
The response calls the departure of the Gaolathe team “unfortunate” and states that the move shows a lack of sincerity in the reconciliation efforts. Meanwhile, Mmegi has also been informed that the Sidney Pilane BMD still has a case to answer before the UDC NEC for the violence at the ill-fated Matshekge Hill Secondary congress.
The UDC has ruled that all expulsions that took place in the lead up to the congress must be vacated and set aside.
UDC had ruled that the environment leading up to, and including that which transpired at Matshekge, was not conducive to the running of a free and fair congress.
The BMD secretary general, Gilbert Mangole and chairperson Nehemiah Modubule were supposed to ensure that they provide a conducive environment to the running of free and fair elections, the UDC NEC ruled.