16 Mar 2015

 Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) leader and President of Botswana, Lieutenant General Seretse Khama Ian Khama has asked his party to introspect and revive its organisational structures before the 2019 general elections.

Opening the ruling party’s 53^rd National Council on March 13, President Khama also called for a spirit of mutual cooperation during contests for the party’s political positions.

The three-day national council, attended by delegates from all regions, including party elders and former cabinet ministers Dr Gaositwe Chiepe, Mr David Magang, Mr Kebatlamang Morake and Mr Daniel Kwelagobe, was held at Maharaja Conference Centre in Gaborone.

President Khama stressed that BDP structures must be resuscitated. “We have to go back to the basics of building our structures and ourselves into a team. 

We have to reassure Batswana and affirm to them as fact that there is still no alternative and that we are still the best placed party that can move Botswana forward,” he said. He pointed that political education should be revived in the structures and inner party general membership meetings stepped up. 

“Everything we are doing in the party should be based on and be informed by its organisational structures and all planning and implementation of the party programme of action should originate from these structures,” President Khama added.

He promised that he would embark on visits of regions in future to kick-start reviving of structures.  President Khama also cautioned BDP members against the culture of entitlement and looking for financial return for doing party work, and thus urged them to resuscitate the spirit of voluntarily working for the party.

He also explained that the BDP primary elections process, dubbed ‘Bulela Ditswe’ was still under review, saying he expected the review to yield results that would reduce disgruntlement, disunity and disharmony within the party.

He said the fall-out from the party’s last primary elections, where some candidates complained about the results and left the party to stand as independent candidates during the 2014 general elections, should be avoided from happening again.

“We must remove this scenario ahead of the 2019 general elections and as such I look forward to receiving at this Council the Siele Commission Report and recommendations in this regard,” he said.

President Khama further cautioned that BDP would not do well in the 2019 general elections without full support from every member. ENDS