BDP repositions itself

The newly elected Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) secretary-general, Kavis Kario says his party is working on a number of programmes to reposition itself to improve its prospects of claiming victory in the 2024 General Elections. Writes Mmegi Staffer

Lately, the BDP leadership has been preaching the need to build a cohesive and united party. Some of its emphasis has been unity and consolidation. The BDP has had some internal fights and it did not do well in the previous by-elections. Out of 14 by-elections that were held post the 2019 General Election, the BDP clinched only three.

In an interview with Mmegi this week, Kario said they are putting in place a comprehensive programme to sanitise and stabilise administrative processes for the party primary elections.

“We intend to deliver free and fair Bulela Ditswe primaries that will be open to scrutiny and proper verification of membership lists as a way to quell the infighting often associated with the necessary process of primary elections.

A deliberate programme to train, consult and workshop democrats on these administrative processes will be undertaken,” said Kario. He added: “We will be deliberate in our robust membership recruitment drive targeted at the youth and urban populations, a sizeable number of whom have in recent times shown a desire to join the BDP, which is the only vibrant and stable party in the country.

Our regional and branch committees are expected to draw up party activation programmes in their areas of responsibility to keep democrats fully engaged and energised.” The secretary-general also said they are already working to forge linkages between government and the party that will see ministers actively driving party consultation on government programmes to inform members and the general citizenry as well as receive feedback from the same. Moreover, he said this will ensure monitoring and adherence to their manifesto promises. In addition, he pointed out that BDP Members of Parliament (MPs), mayors, district chairpersons and councillors will form a core cohort to reinforce trust between the party and voters who have over time expressed unshaken confidence in the party’s ability and good performance in government.

He said they will encourage ministers and other elected representatives to consult with members of the party on issues specific to their portfolios in places they will arrive at on tours of duty. Kario further said they have resolved to revive and re-energise party activism and that will soon be evident as they roll out their planned social networking activities.

He added: “Discipline is one of our priorities in the list and will work with the regions and branches to set up disciplinary committees that will be empowered to deal with indiscipline at regional and branch levels.

Of course, disciplinary processes will remain internal and private matters between aggrieved parties and complainants and we may never get to know if there are any such complaints even when elevated to the national disciplinary committee through the regular process.” Political analyst Lesole Machacha said the ruling party still stands a good chance in the 2024 General Elections since the opposition parties are not united and they are fragmented even more. “The BDP can still rebuild itself if they could be able to unite and put aside their differences. Currently, it is not clear if the two teams, one led by Nonofo Molefhi and the one by Vice President Slumber Tsogwane are working together or have reconciled. In politics, reconciliation is very important because they need each other for them to win elections. Again, as opposed to opposition parties, the BDP looks more united than them. This shows that the BDP can still win elections as they are in power compared to the opposition parties,” Machacha said. He said people are slowly losing interest in the opposition, especially by the way they do things.

In addition, Machacha said the BDP may also start to implement some of the plans it has been failing to do during the year of the election so that it impresses Batswana so that they vote for them. Another political analyst Mokaloba Mokaloba said following its congress, unity was supposed to be the keyword for the BDP especially going towards the 2024 General Elections.

“However, if the factions during the congress and the Molefhi press conference after that are anything to go by, there is still a long way to go in unifying the party. The leadership of the chairperson Tsogwane and President Mokgweetsi Masisi will be tested here and the ultimate test will be whether they will unify all members and perform well in the 2024 General Elections. It’s premature following the congress but there seems to be a tough road ahead,” Mokaloba said.

Meanwhile, former BDP secretary-general Mpho Balopi at the national party council revealed that there are still cases of indiscipline within the party, especially on people who de-campaign the party, publicly attacking or disparaging the party leadership or other members, openly campaigning for opposition candidates to the detriment of the party, disregarding directions or decisions of the leadership and defying caucus decisions or resolutions. In his speech at the party national council BDP President Mokgweetsi Masisi said: “We must be disciplined in our talk, what we write and exchange and the impression created, for this is how elections are won and lost.

It goes without saying that sustaining the stability and survival of the BDP depends on its capacity as a political organisation to work as a unified entity. By no means does this preclude diversity of thought as the BDP is not a monolithic party. Rather, this is our great organisation, that should nurture critical engagements but not at the expense of unity.

Disunity should not have any stake in our party operation.” The party President also implored members to do what they have been doing well, which is to put the party first. In 2019, the BDP was hit by another split which led to the formation of the Botswana Patriotic Front (BPF) and as a result, for the first time in its history, it lost some constituencies in the central part of the country. Some of the key members including former president Ian Khama also defected to the new party. This alone became a threat to the ruling party.