Masquerading journalists, BCP tarnish BPP

| Friday September 14, 2007 00:00

 They claimed that the B.P.P was falling apart as its Central Committee members were allegedly resigning en masse and joining the Botswana Democratic Party and the B.C.P Mmegi (8 September), added for good measure to the offensive by carrying a cartoon of a human being labeled 'B.P.P' lying prostrate with vultures lurking about apparently waiting for a feast.

We hereby set the record straight. Only three out of a total 18 members of the Central Committee of the B.P.P have resigned from the party and joined other parties. Cornelius Gopolang resigned from the position of Secretary General citing financial problems and family commitments as major constraints on him. Later on, we learnt through the media that he had resigned from the party and had joined the B.D.P.

It is significant to note that with his financial problems, the B.D.P. became his obvious choice. He is an economic refugee and his subsequent ranting in the media about lack of unity and cooperation in the leadership of the B.P.P. as well as lack of seriousness on the part of the opposition parties in general are just an empty gimmick meant to endear himself to his financial benefactors namely the B.D.P.

Hlophani Chengeta, the former President of the Youth League has reportedly joined the B.C.P. His resignation was communicated to us through the media where he tried to cast disciplinary hearing for a criminal offence. He is a fugitive from justice and insulting his former colleagues through the media will not exonerate him.

Another former Central Committee member of the B.P.P. who has joined the B.C.P.  is Lillian Griesmier. She has been in the leadership for five (5) years having been nominated twice. Mma Griesmier distinguished herself as having failed to attend a single meeting: hardly a model of commitment.

This fact notwithstanding, she has the temerity to say that one of the reasons she resigned from the party was poor attendance at the leadership meetings. In one of the papers, she is quoted as saying that another one of her reasons for resigning is that Petrus Pudiephatshwa is an impediment to opposition cooperation. When talks are entered into, it is the parties that negotiate and not individuals. The accusation is therefore misplaced and petty.

For starters, the B.P.P. has always been committed to opposition cooperation and remains so. When the People's Progressive Front was formed in 1989, the B.P.P.was a major player. Mindful of vote splitting, the B.P.P. entered both the 1999 and 2004 general elections cooperation, the B.C.P. caused a major upset when they split from the Botswana National Front in 1998 increasing the number of opposition parties and contesting candidates. In 2004, they again went it alone, leading to a major vote split within the opposition.

Our experience from the previous efforts is that a complete merger of all opposition parties is the way to go.
There is a distressing sign that individuals in the media are openly partisan. In their singular commitment to assist the B.C.P. to gain their great power status ambitions, they have thrown all caution to the wind. Nor do they have any sense of consistency.

When the B.C.P. lost 10 (ten) out of its original 11 (eleven) members of parliament at the 1999 general elections there was very little stir if any. When they lost political heavy weights such as Kgosipula, Rantao, Koosaletse, Mabiletsa e.t.c. to the B.N.F., no obituary was written either.

Lies should never be used as a political tool. Reports that Comrades Motlatsi Mbanga and Richard Gudu have joined the B.C.P. and were going to be welcomed at a public rally on Saturday, 8th  September, are a complete fiction. As a matter of fact, the two Comrades are aggrieved by this scandalous misinformation fuelled by the B.C.P. officials.

 
For an organisation to attract new members, there has to be a balance between its objectives and political resources. What attracts new members to an organisation is its vision. In other words, people join a party if the party has got something to offer politically.

Finally, we appeal to our members to ignore the media onslaught and recruit without ceasing. The focus should be the attainment of our goals as contained in our Vision 2014. At the B.P.P. we remain proud of our past and confident of the future.

Edward Mpoloka
Secretary General, Botswana Peoples's Party-71920473