Mmegi

BCP still hopeful of new coalition

BCP believes coming up with a new symbol not ideal

MOMPATI TLHANKANE Staff Writer

With the 2024 General Election near and their once-promising coalition with Alliance for Progressives (AP) having failed, outgoing Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) affiliate Botswana Congress Party (BCP) says they are now looking for stakeholders that might be accommodative to using the BCP symbol.

After hosting a Leadership Forum in Palapye last weekend, the BCP is looking forward to salvaging something from what is left with their partners Botswana Labour Party (BLP) and the AP faction led by former Mogoditshane legislator Sedirwa Kgoroba. The latter has since sworn loyalty to the party led by Maun West Member of Parliament (MP) Dumelang Saleshando.

BCP in the past swallowed other parties like Botswana Alliance Movement (BAM), National Democratic Front (NDF), and Marx, Engel, Lenin and Stalin (MELS) movement but still retained its name.

In an interview with Mmegi this week, BCP spokesperson Dr Mpho Pheko said given the proximity to 2024 polls, 17 months to be precise, they are certainly looking at different models of cooperating with different stakeholders that might be accommodative to using their symbol. She said looking at the time left before the general election, coming up with a new symbol as initially proposed under the AP, BLP BCP coalition may not be ideal.

Pheko said overall the BCP believes that a merger is the most stable form of coalition that will ensure stability and lessen threats to national security. “We proposed a total merger of the UDC and with the BLP, and AP, we were also open to merging the three organisations under one new entity.

However, we remain committed to working with all stakeholders that wish to remove the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) with a credible alternative that will ensure sustainable and accountable government in 2024 and beyond,” she said. Pheko said the current BCP is a coalition of six political parties being BCP, BAM, MELS, NDF, BPU, and SDP. Looking at remaining potential partners in the BLP and the AP faction, realistically they are not strong allies in terms of structures, footprint and numbers.

Also other options include the recently resurrected Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD) and Real Alternative Party (RAP). Asked if the BCP is worried about the limited options in terms of strong partners Pheko said in their political experience, while numbers and footprint are very important, they also acknowledge that the strength of political collaboration goes beyond numbers.

“Both the BLP and members of the AP agree on the principles of good governance. We are united first by conviction and shared values as well as a shared vision for a new and better Botswana. Collectively, we will complement each other to preach the message of hope for a new and better Botswana that we all agree is not attainable under the current BDP government and potential UDC government. We have no doubt that collectively we will be able to mobilise several other stakeholders to join us on our journey to saving Botswana from the imminent threat of a failed state as well as a captured state,” she said.

Pheko added that they are open to partnership with all political parties that are interested to partner with them. She pointed out that a key decider is like-mindedness in regard to ideology, policy positions and organisational culture and values. “But we are now focussing on preparations to dislodge the moribund BDP from power as per our communication following the recent leadership forum.

We are channelling our energies to the 2024 elections, and though confident that several stakeholders will join us along the way, we are not waiting around for new partnerships,” she highlighted.

BCP is currently stuck in the UDC because of a new piece of legislation that prohibits Parliament floor crossing.

Having already confirmed that it won’t contest the 2024 General Election under the UDC, the BCP cannot afford to trigger by-elections hence its prolonged stay in the opposition coalition. Until it is safe to leave the UDC without leading to nationwide by-elections, the BCP is still hopeful that a new coalition will materialise despite the limited options they have left in terms of partners and time is not on their side.

Politics

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2023-06-02T07:00:00.0000000Z

2023-06-02T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://enews.mmegi.bw/article/281762748641682

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