The Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) would like to set the record straight and correct innuendos that might be created by statements and articles that have been carried lately in the press. The articles have a potential of creating certain impressions which do not reflect the status of the relationship between the party and the Botswana Congress Party (BCP).
Among many others, the following impressions could be created;
1. That the UDC and the BCP have already entered into negotiations
2. That such negotiations revolve dividing leadership positions and parliamentary seats between themselves.
In the build up to the Goodhope/ Mabule bye-election, the party through its Leader, Cde Duma Boko requested the BCP not to field a candidate in the election and suggested that this could set the tone for future cooperation between the two parties. It is common knowledge that the leadership of the BCP tried without success to convince it structures in the area to support the UDC. The BCP leadership deserves commendation for such an effort..
We appreciate the time pressure under which the BCP leadership operated and are humbled by its gesture of not fielding a candidate in the forth-coming Bowelatlou Bye-election. This gesture is appreciated by the UDC and the nation at large. This we believe will contribute towards cessation of hostilities and creation of a conducive atmosphere for opposition cooperation talks.
As at now the two parties, being the UDC (which represents the BPP, BNF and the BMD) have not entered into any formal Talks with the BCP neither do we have a bye-election MOU in place. It is important to highlight that the UDC will in terms of the mandate derived from its structures welcome any moves on the part of the BCP to become part of the Umbrella. It has to be appreciated that the common enemy is the BDP. What we believe we will focus on, together with the BCP is not which party gets how many constituencies, or who gets which position, but how do we swiftly remove the moribund BDP from government.
From the recent elections, it is clear that Batswana want all opposition parties to come together under one banner. This is what the UDC has fought for and will continue to fight for. The party leadership will in its next meeting discuss the latest developments and chart the way forward.
Moeti Mohwasa
UDC Spokesperson and Head of Communication.
