UDC finally presses play button
Innocent Selatlhwa | Friday August 9, 2024 12:39
The coalition will go into the October billed polls seeking nothing but victory under the stewardship of Duma Boko. For the first time, an opposition party candidate is confident enough to target only the State House. The UDC had initially planned to launch their manifesto on July 13 but postponed to tomorrow (August 10). According to the coalition, the postponement was to allow for completion of candidates and engagements with different stakeholders. To emphasise, how robust they want their campaign to be, they state they take input of all sectors of society seriously. “It is common knowledge that society looks up to the UDC for emancipation from BDP misrule.
This therefore puts us on a pedestal. We have to be thorough and meticulous in our preparations and ensure that we live up to this expectation,” they emphasised. The UDC revealed they have taken a bottom-up approach to manifesto development, seeking input from a wide range of stakeholders across various sectors. They engaged with trade unions, farmers, business groups, youth, women, sports, media, and other key constituents, the party aims to capture a diverse range of perspectives and priorities that will inform the policies and proposals featured in its manifesto. The adopted approach, they say, promises to produce a more comprehensive and inclusive document that can truly serve the needs of Batswana. Sometime in June, UDC affiliates, comprising the Botswana National Front (BNF), the Botswana People’s Party (BPP) and the Alliance for Progressives (AP), gathered in Palapye to devise strategies for the upcoming general election.
The parties discussed how the election would unfold and how the parties would initiate aggressive campaigns. Such a gathering was part of crucial activities that showed UDC members that their party was still intact and could take on the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP). This came at a time when the UDC had been relatively quiet when it comes to election activities. This silence has led many to questioning whether the UDC is genuinely aiming to win or if it has become content with being the second or third opposition party. In the 2014 and 2019 General Elections, the UDC was ahead with campaigns compared to all the other parties and it was well resourced with a clear plan. Most of the primary elections were conducted a year before the general election, as compared to what is happening this year. UDC president, Boko, had called for all affiliates' central committees to convene and discuss strategic patterns for strong campaigns and effective recruitments.
Another critical issue on the agenda was election funding, fund raising, and plans for the manifesto launch. As the UDC prepares to launch its manifesto and unveil some candidates, internal conflicts over wards and constituencies remain unresolved. Over the weekend, the president urged members to address any issues or obstacles that could impede UDC's campaign efforts. It would seem it was here where the idea to engage masses was born and the initial launch was then postponed. It is important to note that in 2019 manifesto, the UDC proposed issuing of laptops and tablets to schools around the country. To its credit, the Botswana Democratic Party BDP as a ruling party has managed to take these proposals and make them laws and policies. All these programmes in place, both the ruling and the opposition bloc continue to campaign with each claiming ownership. The UDC manifesto was committed to; creating 100,000 jobs in 12 months, P3,000 as minimum wage and P1,500 for old age pension.
They also promised P2, 500 tertiary allowance as well as provision of sanitary towels to all girl pupils. The coalition also talked about hemp industrialisation as one of the areas that would help realise 100, 000 jobs. Other areas of commitment were to transform the public health system and the education system as well as expand opportunities for Batswana through policies and strategies that availed services and resources for growth. The UDC believes that the 2019 manifesto proposals are still relevant and they will continue to use them as campaign tool in addition to what the masses would demand. Through various communications they have made, one can pick some of the UDC priorities. Through their Facebook page, the UDC state they remain resolute in their promises of amongst others P4,000 living wage, P2,500 tertiary allowance and free sanitary pads. These could be some of the key short message they will be running with to try win voters over in the next couple of weeks as they will be launching their candidates and doing house to house campaigns. Possibly hinting towards their manifesto, AP president and vice president of UDC, Ndaba Gaolathe said beyond October, UDC envisioned Botswana with a constitution that addressed people’s rights and interests.
He said the constitution should cater for employment opportunities for all, citing that their plan as the opposition was to birth big companies that would provide sufficient jobs and export their products and services for the growth of the country’s economy. He said the strategic plan would ensure that Batswana did not worry about their jobs being taken by foreigners in their own country. Gaolathe said Botswana did not have homebound banks which carried the interests of the country, as such it made it difficult to establish these envisaged giant companies which would empower indigenous citizens and create wealth for the country since there were no project funders.
Therefore, he said as the opposition they intended to set up a sovereign fund for their envisaged Botswana which would sell its shares to citizens and help fund these big companies that would ultimately bring wealth to the country. With regards to agriculture, Gaolathe said they envisioned to come up with defined strategies that would enable the country to produce at least one tonne per hectare as opposed to the usual 230kg/h. In addition, he said the UDC endeavoured to cultivate an education system which would equip students with extensive skills to build and produce quality products for the betterment of the nation. This, he said, would birth more jobs for the locals and cited Dubai as an ideal benchmark for the envisaged plan. With regard to the health sector, Gaolathe said the new Botswana would stand ready with increased number of doctors and nurses, adding that they would also build better staff accommodation. The UDC is set to field candidates in 56 of the 61 constituencies at stake. The manifesto launch will also see all the candidates being unveiled and dates for their launches announced.