Gaborone, Molefhabangwe star at 'Domi ke yame'

RYDER GABATHUSE
Staff Writer | Monday November 15, 2010 00:00

 

PEEC, chaired by Power Moupi, was able to help the party to attract about 513 members to the BDP fold and the majority of the new members were paraded at a massive rally held at the grounds of the Mahalapye Community Hall. PEEC is engaged in a massive recruitment drive ahead of the 2014 general election in which the party has set itself an ambitious 70 percent of the popular vote which it failed to achieve last year coming short by 17 percent.

Mahalapye was all red which could have left non BDP members green with envy. There were two huge marquee tents and two other smaller ones which were all spilling with men and women kitted in red, black and white.

There is no doubt that the 'Domi Ke Yame' programme which generally suggests ownership of the BDP to all and sundry, has had a good start and the remaining challenge now is whether the ruling party will be able to sustain it.

Defecting former opposition operatives and former BDP councillors who stood as independent candidates in last year's general election sent a convincing message to all that the BDP was indeed commodious.

In a deliberate move, the BDP paraded its bigwigs which in a way became an attraction to the villagers some of whom had never had an opportunity to be close to their leaders.

The weekend rally also depicted the financial power of the ruling BDP given the high level of the event's management and the setting itself.

Khama's main concern as he stood at the podium was to see the BDP faithful working overtime to ensure that come 2014, the popular vote is increased to 70 percent or more.

 'The recruitment of new members should be accelerated and the political education programme should target many so that it keeps us at the same wavelength,' he appealed.

 'This is a good start and I will remain hopeful that as we all work towards achieving the party's targets the results will be far reaching,'appreciated Khama.

Perhaps, as a sign of recognition that former Botswana National Front(BNF) vice president Olebile Gaborone, a sitting MP  and former BNF MP Robert Molefhabangwe were valued assets, Khama introduced them ahead of the rest. Gaborone, who crossed the floor to the BDP recently, came clad in BDP colours and was given more BDP regalia by Khama.

He was given a standing ovation by the crowd. He was then made to greet members of his new party as he returned to take his position. Molefhabangwe who has now become used to the BDP after defecting last year proved to be the most popular of all the new members as the whole rally roared as he waved at them. There was no order as many people jumped on the man as he greeted tent by tent.

Vice President Mompati Merafhe promised his boss, Khama: 'We are going to stand by you in ensuring that we achieve what the party has set'.

He described Khama as a brand and encouraged all the party faithful to rally behind him for the good future of the BDP. He said Khama would continue taking the country to higher levels.

He even shouted his popular saying: 'In politics there is no prize for coming second'.

Party chairman, Daniel Kwelagobe, reminded the party that all the new members deserved equal treatment.

 'That the party has been winning the general elections since 1966, should not render anyone of you complacent believing that we will win forever, as all the parties are doing a lot to reverse their poor showing in the previous elections,' warned the BDP chairman, encouraging the BDP diehards to sweat for their party.

Speaking on behalf of other defectors Gaborone, a returnee to the BDP after defecting to the BNF some years back, was elated 'about the warmth in which I have been received back into the BDP'. He appealed to the party to give them an opportunity to prove their worth so that they could contribute to the various party structures effectively. 

The BDP weekend rally was graced by almost all the party organs, all the party regions and majority of the party top leadership.