Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC) will propose another round of cooperation talks with the Botswana Congress Party (BCP), a document  passed to Sunday Standard has revealed.
The document states that there must be a model that will bring the BCP on Board.┬á “A form of a written agreement between BCP and UDC on how the parties will work together at Party level, council level and Parliamentary level and even towards and beyond the 2019 general elections”, states the document.
The UDC document proposed that the BCP be allowed a window period to engage its members on how they can work together going forward. The period will allow BCP to go for their congress where they are expected to propose a memorandum of understanding with UDC.
The Document further proposes that there should be only one UDC headquarters. “There should be one office for the UDC with all contracting party offices merging into one office that will run the administrative functions of the UDC.”
It is expected that at the headquarters there be desks for all the three parties which are under UDC.
Another proposal is that Botswana National Front (BNF) and Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD) should hold their last congress in 2015 and 2016 respectively and all the UDC member parties would then focus on UDC business until the next individual party congresses after 2019.
The document envisages a UDC National Assembly. The national assembly was expected to be called before end of February to:
-Evaluate the Performance of UDC in the 2014 General Elections
-Take reformatory actions for improved performance in the 2019 General Elections.
-Resolve on the working relationship with the BCP both at Party level, Parliament and Councils.
-Adopt a program of Action for the next 4 years.
“It is at this General Assembly that the Umbrella for Democratic Change should consider taking a resolution for all contracting parties to hold their last Congresses before 2019 Elections for both mother body and auxiliary bodies,” documents read.
The UDC would also have an Extension Committee made up of all the executives of all the three parties.
After party congresses from 1 July, documents propose that there should be one UDC Membership and during UDC Primary Elections only that membership will be used.
On issues of the constituencies, the document states that all constituencies belong to the UDC and any member in the UDC can stand in any constituency. No constituency will be reserved for certain parties under Umbrella model.
