Barata-phathi issue demands
Monday, March 22, 2010
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On Saturday he sent emissaries to negotiate with the group, which has announced that it will form a new party. Khama's instructions to Barata-Phathi was that they should list their grievances. The BDP central committee reportedly held an emergency meeting over the weekend to counter the crisis in the party.
Meanwhile, during the Barata-Phathi conference in Mogoditshane, some delegates proposed that they should ignore Khama's appeals because they were leaving 'his party' anyway. Others felt that Khama was only applying his military tactics to buy time and would never heed their pleas. However, it was agreed that out of courtesy, they should hand him their demands. Members of Barata-Phathi made it clear that they are leaving the BDP whether their concerns are addressed or not.
The BDP as a party known to have ample resources has always held its primaries well in time, but this time around that was not the case. The first leg of the primaries was held last weekend, with the final leg being billed for the coming weekend. This time around, the BDP failed to shine in its primary elections. The elections were chaotic; most if not all polling stations didn't open at the specified time of 6am. Loyal BDP members braved the...