The Chairman of BNF’s Gaborone North branch, Gotlamang Kelapile, recently told a political rally at the Gaborone Bus Station that it is greatly disappointing to find leaders and ordinary members of different opposition political parties in the country standing at political rallies to attack their opposition colleagues instead of preaching the word of unity amongst themselves.
Kelapile said that what saddens him most is that such attacks are, at times, made by the highest ranking persons, such as presidents of opposition parties, who should be leading by example in showing tolerance towards other opposition parties.
He said that the belief in his party is that opposition parties should work together in order for them to win power from the ruling Botswana Democratic Party.
Kelapile further said that his party has avoided doing such a thing for the sake of cooperation of opposition parties, adding that recently the party’s Secretary General, Akayang Magama, had at the same Freedom Square openly criticised a colleague who was attacking another opposition party leadership.
Kelapile said this showed the seriousness with which his party takes the cooperation of opposition parties.
He, however, warned that if such behaviour continues, they might be forced to retaliate, which he said will be playing into the hands of the ruling BDP, “which has been in power since we attained independence”. Another speaker at the rally, veteran BNF member, Lemogang Ntime, condemned the BDP leadership for having gone all out to invite Chinese business people then connive with them to exploit workers of this country.
He said they do this by making laws that do not protect workers of this country as some of them (BDP leadership) would have gone into business partnership with the Chinese.
Ntime charged that it was not true that labour officials were not visiting work places to make sure that labour laws are followed but the problem, he said, is that the laws are not designed to protect the workers.
He further said that if there were any laws that the business people were breaking, we would have seen them appearing in Courts of law charged with not obeying set labour laws.
”I have never seen that because they are not breaking any laws though people work in unhealthy conditions without protective clothing,” he charged.
On the ongoing examinations, Ntime said that he was disappointed by the Batswana parents of those students who are writing examinations. He said the parents have not even raised a finger at reports that their children are being invigilated by people who are not trained as teachers or those who have long retired.
”The unions have been the only ones complaining whilst the parents whose children’s future is being put in danger are quiet,” he concluded.
