01 Aug 2016

The Vice President, also Chairman of Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), Mr Mokgweetsi Masisi has implored democrats to preach peace and unity among themselves.
Mr Masisi said this during a BDP rally in Ghanzi on Sunday.He said BDP believed in consultations and negotiations.

Therefore, he called on party members to continue those principles in order to fight the opposition and win back lost constituencies

The Vice President, who also welcomed new members to the party, urged BDP members to work together in harmony with new members to strengthen the party’s growth.

He urged party members to desist from anger and rude behaviour towards each other.

On other issues, Mr Masisi reminded Batswana of BDP programmes and policies that he said were still relevant.

He stated that government, under BDP, prided itself because at the time of economic meltdown, government did not follow on other governments, which retrenched their public service.

He also said BDP government continued to make efforts in making available programmes which were of benefit to Batswana the latest being the Economic Stimulus Programme (ESP); that was established to create jobs as well as eradicate backlog of development projects around the country.

Therefore, Mr Masisi urged party members to recruit new members to the party especially the young people.

For his part, Mr Lotty Manyapetsa, who defected from the Botswana Congress Party (BCP), shared his opposition experience with residents of Ghanzi.

He alleged that opposition parties were about malice and defaming. He urged Ghanzi residents to reclaim the Ghanzi North constituency from UDC in 2019, reminding them of the developments the BDP led government brought to the lives of Batswana.

He cited developments such as ICT, saying it was with BDP led government that every Motswana was able to connect with everyone anywhere in the world regardless of their geographical area.

He also said Batswana benefitted from better health facilities as well as being a multi religious country; something he said was not enjoyed by other nationalities in Africa.

Member of Parliament for Ghanzi South, Mr Christiaan De Graaff implored Ghanzi residents to do themselves justice and claim back Ghanzi North in 2019.

He said at independence, Botswana was among the poorest countries in Southern Africa, but said Batswana should now take pride that under the BDP government, Botswana had developed.

Mr De Graaff noted that BDP promoted democracy and that it was a democratic right of every Motswana to vote whoever they wished.

But he encouraged Batswana to vote for BDP as only Batswana had power to put BDP into power. ENDS