10 Sep 2023

Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD) was established to fight against challenges that were bedeviling people in the past years.

In 2010, extra-judicial killings, abduction of people, and lack of respect for people’s rights and other social ills were high, thus triggering a move and need to form the party.

Former president of BMD, Mr Nehemiah Modubule said this when officially opening BMD’s National Congress in Mahalapye recently.

He said it was against this backdrop that the party was formed to fight for people’s rights and ensure that all Batswana were treated equally, noting such called for all members of BMD to sacrifice their time, energy and financial resources for a better Botswana.

He said his party was loved by opposition members as many were crossing the political floor to join it.

He said that is why the party came up with a model of umbrella body while other opposition parties were looking for pact, coalition and merger.

He said some leaders were arrogant and did not deserve to be in power.

Modubule emphasised that Batswana should not be blind followers, but should scrutinise such leaders.  

The former party leader said his party would continue to work tirelessly until it assumed power because they wanted Batswana to walk in light as those who walked in darkness stumbled.

He called them to reduce advancing self-interests over party interests, as the principle states that the group or organisational objective should be given priority over the individual party members’ objectives.

Mr Modubule said BMD cherished Botho, humbleness, forgiveness and respectfulness pointing that such positive traits were paramount to attract people to the party.

He opined that Botswana Congress Party (BCP) was more organised that other parties in the country and called on his party members to strive to be more organised than BCP.”

He said they were for unity but noted that in most instances coalition governments were short-lived, adding that those in coalition had different minds and lacked cohesion, as such it was paramount to choose those aligned to the same interests.

Mr Modubule spoke of the need for opposition parties’ presidents to have a forum where they could meet and speak with one voice against challenges bedeviling the nation and come up with solutions to such challenges.

“We should know that we are going to elections and Batswana should know the solutions that the party has for challenges bedeviling the country,” Mr Modubule said.

He said Batswana should be cognisant of the difference the party was going to bring to issues of poverty, thus imploring members to refrain from vulgar or offensive politics while there were many socio-economic challenges that needed to be addressed.

Mr Modubule highlighted that the party should sell their solutions to Batswana, adding that his party was trying everything in its power to be a pace setter in politics and that could only happen if members changed their minds to the course of what they want to be. Ends