"Our relationship is going to help us in some areas where we would ordinarily not fair well. Having joined forces with the BAM will help us give support to BAM where the party has proved to be strong and vice versa," explained Lucas. Lucas told the rally that BAM and BCP have agreed on a pact that will help the two parties achieve what they would ordinarily have not done individually. "The two parties have already shared areas where they would contest. You would recall that BAM is strong in Ngamiland whilst BCP is strong in Okavango for instance," said Lucas. "In all our endeavours, we will be supporting each other and there is just no way in which we could allow anything else to disrupt our progress," he said. He was proud that currently, with just one MP, his party was making a serious impact in Parliament and on national debates generally. He said his party's secret is that all stakeholders were taken very seriously and their contributions were highly regarded in the negotiations with BAM.
"With other parties when people differ, they often rush to the media and air their dirty linen in public. We are such a peaceful party that our members are given the respect they deserve," asserted Lucas.
He said democracy should start from individuals and spread to institutions. "Some politicians are akin to the Biblical Herode at their homes and only pretend to be peaceful and democratic at their parties," he explained claiming that the BCP is the only party that continues to enjoy peace while others are synonymous with infighting. Lucas, who is also a University of Botswana academic, challenged the government to diversify the economy so that it can create more jobs through the setting up of sugar industries, the production of matches and mayonnaise among other things. He said sugar, matches and mayonnaise are in high demand in Botswana and anybody manufacturing them will not go wrong.
"With such a large national herd of cattle, it is worrying that Botswana is still experiencing a shortage of milk. We depend on South Africa for almost everything and imagine the day South Africa closes us out."
He stressed that government cannot think that reintroduction of school fees is a good way of diversifying the economy that is dependant on diamonds.Earlier, former Francistown West MP Vain Mamela took advantage of the rally and attacked the main opposition Botswana National Front (BNF). He said that the BNF has condemned the BCP for copying the Social Democratic Programme (SDP). "They think SDP is their property. The core values of democracy are found in the SDP and the BNF is crazy to claim that it as theirs."He attacked some ruling party MPs who claim to be opposed to the privatisation of Air Botswana because there is no difference between the government and its MPs. He said the MPs are hypocrites because they should have left the ruling party if they do not like its policies. "By claiming that it is the cabinet which took the decision to privatise Air Botswana is misleading. These people have always agreed with the government. Government is not a strange animal living in Gaborone. Ruling party MPs are part of it," said Mamela. "At the BCP, we are not against privatisation, but we are against wholesale privatisation, which even includes privatisation of local butcheries. What do the locals benefit," he wondered.
