11 Feb 2025

Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) leadership has urged discipline among members, acknowledging that internal disunity was a significant factor in its historic electoral defeat last year.

Speaking during a regional consultation tour of the Kweneng West region in Molepolole on Saturday, BDP President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi emphasised the importance of unity within the party, particularly in light of their recent loss.

Although Dr Masisi conceded that he accepts responsibility for the party’s loss, he implored fellow party members to reconsider their approach, stating, “I may be to blame for our defeat, but does that mean we should abandon the party rather than defend it?”

The former President urged party members to unify behind the BDP, emphasising that internal disunity only weakened their collective strength.

Emphasising the importance of discipline, Dr Masisi remarked, “If you are not disciplined, you cannot go far.”

 He went on to acknowledge the concerns raised by party members regarding the previous primary election process, including the late primary election date, limited opportunities for appeal, and delayed issuance of campaign materials and membership cards.

Dr Masisi explained the cause of these issues, stating that the party leadership had made a decision to upgrade its voting system to a new software in order to strengthen its security features to deter infiltration, which inadvertently resulted in missing names on the voter rolls during the migration process.

He stressed the importance of learning from the challenges to avoid similar problems in future elections.

Despite acknowledging these challenges and many others, Dr Masisi remained firm in his belief that party unity was crucial for the its future success, emphasising that focusing on internal disagreements would only distract BDP from the larger goal of winning back the support of the electorate.

The BDP chairperson, Mr Slumber Tsogwane echoed the importance of party discipline and unity.

He emphasised the need for party members to unite and build the party within its structures, warning against using WhatsApp groups as a platform for spreading divisive or disrespectful messages about the party and its leadership.

Mr Tsogwane highlighted that the party’s election loss had been gradually mounting over the years, which suggests that internal disunity had been an issue for some time.

Acting secretary general, Mr Ngaka Ngaka warned that “even if we win back the government, if we don’t forgive each other, our party will not move forward,” ENDS