BCP forum unlikely to discuss Saleshando heir

EPHRAIM KEORENGStaff Writer | Friday January 22, 2010 00:00

 

In an interview with Mmegi, BCP spokesperson Dumelang Saleshando said yesterday, 'I doubt the issue (of succession) will be discussed at the forum.

The people at constituency level are free to choose whom they want as president of the party and if the forum were to discuss who should become the next party president, it would be undermining the rights of the party members (who are not part of the leadership) to freely choose their preferred candidate,' he said.

Saleshando, who is seen as the favourite candidate for the post, said that at the moment members in constituencies are discussing the issue. Besides him, other frontrunners are attorney Dick Bayford and Botswana Alliance Movement (BAM) president, Ephraim Setshwaelo.

When asked how campaigns for executive party positions are conducted, Saleshando said that 'it can be in two ways: where someone is approached by constituencies or they approach them (constituencies) to seek support for standing. Then the campaigns would get in full swing. Unlike others such as the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) where we saw people attacking fellow members in public over party positions, we will be conducting clean campaigns. It will be a campaign that runs through party structures,' he said.

On the other hand, the BCP spokesperson said that central committee members, regional chairpersons, constituency chairpersons and their secretaries, together with the women and youth leagues, will attend the leadership forum.

He explained that though the agenda has not been finalised, the forum is expected to also discuss the July Congress, the review of the party constitution and the future BCP-BAM-National Democracy Front (NDF) relationship.

'We are thinking about a possible merger, that is going beyond the cooperation. At the moment, the matter is before the BAM, BCP and NDF executives to try to narrow it down. Then we will go to our members with clear proposals from our leadership,' he said.

Saleshando said that it would be good for the parties to merge as they have been courting for a long time.

'It would be better going into the general elections as a single party with one symbol and one presidential candidate. Having the large pool of human resources under one roof would be good for the party,' he said.