Africa-Press – Botswana. Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) members have been urged to remain united and patriotic for the party to continue to be a leading political force in the country.
The BDP secretary general, Mr Kavis Kario made the call at the BDP’s BOMASE region in Selebi Phikwe on Saturday.
Mr Kario urged BDP members to always put the party first by supporting those who would win in the party primary elections, known as Bulela Ditswe, yet to be held.
“The BDP intends to be the leading political force in Botswana and shall continue to be a constructive organisation in which participatory democracy shall be maintained,” he said.
He said BDP was a party welded together by patriotism and voluntary desire on the part of members to belong to it.
“Members who qualify to stand for primary elections are allowed to do so. However, those who have applied to stand for elections should not be elected on the basis of friendship rather members should look at their credibility and see whether they are competent enough to serve the party at council, parliamentary level or ministerial level,” he added.
Mr Kario explained that if the members failed to consider such, it would disadvantage the party when the elected members failed to deliver on its mandate.
Furthermore, Mr he warned against dividing the party, post Bulela Ditswe, by members who had lost in the exercise by supporting opposition candidates.
He said BDP failed to retain some of the constituencies in the 2019 general elections because some party members voted against fellow democrats. He said BOMASE region had won only one constituency of Mmadinare and lost three constituencies of Selebi Phikwe East, Selebi Phikwe West and Bobonong to the opposition.
“Let us be patriotic to the party by supporting BDP candidates in the general elections to give the party power to continue ruling this country. We want all the four constituencies back in the BDP hands in the coming general elections,” he said and therefore urged members to work hard and recruit new members and sell the BDP government’s programmes aimed at empowering Batswana.
“BDP is the only party that have the interests of the nation at heart hence members should always protect its brand by putting the party ahead of everything,” he added. For his part, former vice president and Mmadinare MP, Dr Ponatshego Kedikilwe said BDP managed to be in power since independence because of the sacrifice made by men and women who led the party in the past years.
“Veteran BDP members always put the party’s interests above everything and always supported and protected the party despite the challenges they faced,” Dr Kedikilwe said. Having served the party for many years, he said he never had the opportunity to become its president, but continued to serve in other structures.
He thus urged all those who would lose in the primary elections to accept defeat and rally behind the elected BDP candidates.
He also urged BDP members to support one another by attending rallies in good numbers.
BOMASE region chairperson, Mr Steven Phane explained that those who had shown interest to stand for the BDP primary elections would undergo vetting.
Mr Phane said showing interest was not a guarantee that one would be able to stand for elections and thus urged BDP members to accept the outcome of vetting process.
He also urged BDP members to remain truthful and patriotic to the party at all times and behave well during the impending primary elections. Meanwhile, BOMASE region is made up of Bobonong, Mmadinare, Selebi-Phikwe East and Selebi-Phikwe West constituencies.
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