Former President Sir Ketumile Masire has reacted angrily to accusations that he is a tribalist. This follows a letter that was read at a BDP meeting recently allegedly written by Masire in which indorsed Vice President Mokgweetsi Masisi for the party chairmanship.
“I have never been tribalistic, I have run this country for almost 50 years and there is no how I can be accused of being tribalistic,” former President Sir Ketumile Masire told Sunday Standard in a brief telephone interview.
Sunday Standard had wanted to know whether the former President authored the letter that was read at the Jwaneng Congress last weekend and sought his immediate reaction on various opinions that the content of the letter was tribalistic. Masire’s critics claim that the letter suggested that statesman was very happy that a southerner; the current Vice President Mokgweetsi Masisi was the Vice President of the country and that as the southern region, they should support the VP for the party chairmanship.
“What is your personal view on the letter yourself,” Masire quizzed this reporter when asked to respond to criticism by observers suggesting that the contents of his letter amounted to tribalism. However another contestant for the party chairmanship Ramadeluka Seretse who was also present at the Jwaneng Congress agrees that the letter had the effect of endorsing Masisi but he does not see the letter being tribalistic.
On his face book post Ramadeluka Seretse said, “It is very unfortunate that we seem to waste too much of our energies on issues that are divisive at a time when our unity is more important than ever before.” “Yes I was in Jwaneng at the Southern Region Congress; I was in the hall when Rre Siele read a letter which he said was written by Rre Ragaone (the 2nd President of our Party and our Country); the letter had the effect of endorsing Rre Masisi as the Southern Region Candidate for the 2015 -17 Chairmanship of the our Party,” said Seretse. He said he never understood the tone of the letter to say the chairman of the ruling BDP for the 2015-17 period must come from the South as opposed to the North.
“I, however, never understood the tone of the letter to say the Chairman of the BDP for the 2015-17 period must come from the south as opposed to the north. Yes, any form of endorsement of one candidate by whoever at such a gathering, in the presence of other candidates would be unfortunate and a mistake never to be repeated. Seretse went on urging Southern region to be magnanimous enough to accept the mistake and clear the air. “Fellow Democrats let us focus on 2019 and reach there more united than ever before, such that we could redeem ourselves from the 2014 General Election debacle. Let’s identify our mistakes, talk less of them but work more on correcting and consolidating.”
