BMD bounces back!
Congress to usher in new leadership We will also discuss pertinent issues such as opposition cooperation, electoral reforms - Modubule
Botswana Movement for Democracy ( BMD) is ready to resuscitate the once vibrant political movement, party Chairman Nehemiah Modubule has said.
The BMD will this weekend converge in Mahalapye for its elective congress to usher in a new National Executive Committee. Modubule told Botswana Guardian that the aim of the congress is to resuscitate the party which has had its fair share of problems including its dismal performance in the 2019 general election. He said party members will usher in new leadership which will prepare the party for the 2024 general elections.
“We have been through a rough path following our Bobonong Congress in 2017 which later on led to a split. We have also been expelled from the Umbrella for Democratic Change ( UDC) a coalition we worked so hard to build.
“We want to revive the BMD to a state where it can be able to participate like any other political movement in our political space. We do not want the Gomolemo Motswaledi legacy to be eroded because he loved the party so much,” Modubule said.
He explained that the party has also lost many members especially to the ruling Botswana Democratic Party ( BDP). According to the chairman, there will also be a number of issues they will discuss and make resolutions on.
One of those is cooperation with other opposition parties to oust the BDP. Modubule, pointed out that although it is vital for opposition parties to work collectively to oust the ruling BDP, members of the BMD will take a resolution on the important matter.
He said there are many ways of ensuring that they work together with opposition parties. A resolution will be taken on what kind of a model the party will settle for.
“We have the UDC as the coalition and there is also the new coalition which has been formed. We have to consider our options and see which model of the coalition will suit us. We are yet to see what the new kid on the block has to offer in terms of cooperation,” he said.
The other critical matter is electoral reforms. Modubule said they cannot talk about 2024 elections without first pushing for electoral reforms as this would be futile.
“We want the indelible ink to return
for use after it was stopped years ago. This is because we have come to realise that under the current arrangement it is possible for people to vote more than once while each person is entitled to only vote once.
“We also want counting to be done at the polling station instead of the ballots having to be transported for long distances which is also a risk. As for ballots of those who will be involved in running the elections such as polling officers and security, their ballots have to be counted and recorded immediately after voting rather than wait for the entire nation to vote and have those incorporated. “We do not trust those who will be guarding those ballots,” Modubule said, adding that post the Mahalapye congress the BMD will be able to impact and shape the country’s political landscape.
The troubled party last held its congress in December 2017 following its split in September of the same year where Alliance for Progressives ( AP) was born. The BMD leadership abided by the UDC directive to dissolve and hold fresh congress.
The BMD then held both youth and mother body congress on December 3rd 2017 in Lobatse. The party would later ahead of the 2019 general elections get expelled from the UDC on grounds that its President, Advocate Sidney Pilane was toxic and not working well with other UDC leaders. This is after he had fallen out with Botswana Congress Party ( BCP) President, Dumelang Saleshando.