Use power of your vote, students told

GOTHATAONE MOENG
Staff Writer | Monday June 3, 2013 00:00

 

Speaking at a press conference last week, Mokotedi told tertiary students to resist being reduced to cry babies. The press conference, held at the UBSRC office, was crowded with students from Limkokwing University of Creative Technology (LUCT) who have been going through wrangles with their management.

'The power lies in our hands and in the 2014 vote.  In 2014, the only way to say 'enough is enough' to the regime is to make sure that your vote counts,' he said.Mokotedi was speaking in the aftermath of the release from police cells, on bail, of suspended LUCT SRC president, Poloko Pitwane.

Pitwane and 12 others were arrested last Friday on charges of criminal trespassing and rioting.Mokotedi decried the mistreatment of students and what he called the trampling of students' basic right to demonstrate.  He said under the current regime, students are consistently denied their right to be heard, which shows desperation by government.

'What they are doing is a symptom of a desperate regime in its last days,' he told students. Mokotedi observed that it is not just students who are being denied this right because the entire civil society has become 'an endangered species' under the current regime.The youthful leader told his audience that the only way to change their situation is to change the regime, adding that the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) government does not represent the rights of the students. However, opposition parties were also not spared the rod either, as Mokotedi warned them to 'shape up' if they want students to vote for them.

He called on the Botswana Congress Party (BCP) to consider re-joining the Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) to prevent splitting votes in next year's elections.  Present at the press conference to support the students were president of the Botswana Movement for Democracy Youth League (BMDYL) Phenyo Segokgo and MacDonald 'Chili boy' Rakgare from the BCP.