11 Feb 2018

Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) Secretary General, Mr Mpho Balopi has said the party was working hard to restore hope among Batswana.

 Speaking in an interview at the Gaborone Region meeting on February 10, he said after the outcome of the 2014 general elections, it was clear that democrats were disintegrated, hence they were working round the clock to revitalise all the party structures.

He said after the 2015 Mmadinare congress, President Lt Gen. Dr Seretse Khama Ian Khama made a resolution that they should unite the party by resuscitating all party structures,  bringing on board some of the democrats who have lost hope in the party.

He also said such meetings were important because they get to know the concerns of party members and address them well in time, as they prepare for the 2019 general elections. 

Mr Balopi said they intended to win the 2019 general elections with majority votes and that so far the President had addressed 86 meetings in different regions and that the results were beginning to show through visibility of members and the large turnout to such meetings.

He said BDP was a party that is rooted in culture of unity and political tolerance as shown by its membership of the old and the young, who are able to accommodate one another, adding that the misconception that BDP was only strong in rural areas was an old fallacy. 

“Batswana should understand that we are where we are today because of the visionary leadership of BDP and this should continue to be an artery that unites us as Batswana,” he said.

He further said BDP was committed to turning around the 2014 elections outcome and reverse the loss the party suffered by wrestling back all constituencies in opposition control to BDP including all the Gaborone constituencies.

He said for them to win the Gaborone region they needed to address the problems that affected the urban populace as the majority of the constituencies lost were in urban areas.

“Our problem in urban areas is not the opposition, but the working class because their grievances are the ones that force them to respond the way they are doing. 

We are addressing problems such as accommodation and initiatives aimed at empowering and uplifting the livelihoods of Batswana and other basic needs that affect our people,” he said.

BDP deputy secretary general, Mr Shaw Kgathi said regional meetings were meant to appeal to party members to continuously engage one another and the general public on the mandate of the party and to ensure that party regional structures remain functional at all times. 

He said the regional structures were paramount in ensuring survival and visibility of the party throughout the country.

“We address democrats’ complaints through members of the central committee. who have been assigned different constituencies and we are pleased that so far unity seems to prevail because our biggest enemy in the BDP is unity and very little of the opposition,” he said.

He said the fact that there was only one MP under BDP ticket in Gaborone was a clear message that they needed to work hard to win all the constituencies, adding that it was the reason why most candidates during the Bulela Ditswe stood unopposed in Gaborone as they agreed on one representative to contest during general elections. Ends