21 Oct 2014

President Lt Gen. Seretse Khama Ian Khama has appealed for votes from democrats to ensure that all the party representatives go to parliament and council so that the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) could continue to rule.

Speaking at a BDP rally at Oliphant’s Drift in Mochudi East constituency on October 16, President Khama called on the electorate to correct the mistake they made in 2009 by voting opposition members who went on to fail to bring development to the area.

He said the outgoing Member of Parliament had never come to him to share the challenges the people of Mochudi East were facing, adding that he visited villages according to MPs’ advices; hence it was the first time that he had visited the community.

President Khama said it was then important that they voted people he could work and relate with easily as compared to what had transpired despite having an open policy for everyone to come to his office and ask for assistance.

Furthermore he said, as president, he served all Batswana including those who supported the opposition and would by no means prejudge any because they belonged to a certain party.  He asked the voters to vote Rev Mpho Moruakgomo as a member of parliament under the BDP ticket and they will see development coming to their area in the next five years. 

Lt Gen Khama asked voters to elect people who were responsible and love others as compared to opposition parties that lacked discipline and did not respect others. He added that it was not wrong that they belonged to different parties, what was important is that they should respect each other. 

Khama applauded democrats for working very hard in their campaigns as compared to 2009 as shown by the many members who leave the opposition parties to join BDP which was a sign that all was not well with them. 

Commenting on the recent attacks from the opposition who accused him of using state resources to campaign, he told voters that opposition parties should know that it was his constitutional right to use such resources as the head of state.

He said that did only begin with him, but former presidents of the country had also used them on official duties because a president is a president whether on official duty or not.

He asked the opposition parties to stop questioning whatever he did and tell Batswana what they have in their programmes to improve their lives because BDP has changed the lives of Batswana and will continue to do so through programmes geared at improving lives. 

One of the speakers at the rally, Mr Molefe Molefe who was an independent candidate but has recently joined BDP, asked voters to vote BDP into power so that they could benefit from development programmes.

He said for the past twenty years no development had been forth coming to their village which means former MPs had failed to bring change to their village. Mr Molefe decried the bad state of their road which has destroyed their vehicles and asked President Khama to assist them with it.

The parliamentary candidate for Mochudi East Rev Mpho Moruakgomo thanked president for his compassion among Batswana and for spearheading the fight against poverty. He said the time had come for Batswana who live in the river villages in Mochudi East to also enjoy government programmes as other Batswana elsewhere. 

Rev Moruakgomo said voters should vote BDP in the constituency so that developments could come compared to former representatives who had failed to act accordingly. He said his intention was to make special horticultural zones in the river villages so that they too could have industries that will create employment and change their lives for the better.

Rev Moruakgomo added that he planned to make a choir challenge festival so that dikhwaere in Kgatleng could benefit through the talents they have and make a living from it.

He promised the voters that soon a private company would begin to grade their road and that was the result of his intervention after meeting with the minister to help address the bad state of roads. ENDS