Botswana Congress Party (BCP)’s Information and Publicity Secretary, Taolo Lucas, says the party is on the verge of announcing its position on whether or not it will take part in the on-going revived Umbrella talks.
In an interview, Lucas said it was premature to make an announcement yet.
He said the ongoing consultative process will be concluded on March 11, after which the party executive shall meet on March 15 to consider the report and prepare its recommendations to the central committee.
He said the ultimate decision will be an outcome of a central committee meeting scheduled for the 24th of March in Palapye.
On the same day, the party is expected to hold a leadership forum where members will be briefed on the outcome of the consultative process.
In his statement, Lucas said it should be noted that the consultation process is intended to brief and receive feedback from members of the party on the opposition cooperation project. He said BCP considers it imperative that it consults its membership on the status of the opposition project.
“In the judgement of the BCP leadership, it is proper and appropriate that any consideration to vary Congress resolution must be informed by the feedback from the members of the party,” he said.
Lucas has also indicated that the ongoing consultation process is not only necessary but constitutionally imperative. He says that the BCP membership is an integral part of the decision making process.
He said that excluding the membership from critical decisions is an affront to participatory democracy which the BCP holds sacrosanct.
He said that the party will continue with consultative process to its logical conclusion, adding that only after the consultation process is complete will a decision be announced.
“It may be useful for the other opposition parties to respect our processes, as we respect theirs, and avoid the grandstanding that we have witnessed in the past few weeks,” he said.
