What did I say to offend the BDP?” by Sir Ketumile Masire 07-09-2014 Three weeks ago Mr Mpho Balopi, the Secretary General of BDP published in the newspapers that he was going to drag me before the BDP Council of Elders to be grilled about what I said at Gomolemo Motswaledi’s funeral. I am still waiting. I wonder if he has now changed his mind. If so, I am sorely disappointed, because failure to carry out his threat will deny me the opportunity to hear what was so offensive to Domkrag that I said at the funeral of my friend. Is my sin the fact that I did not get briefing notes from the Secretary General or his minions before I went to speak at the funeral? Indeed, “pelo yame e tletse bogalaka” to find that my name and those of my stalwarts is so easily, cheaply and wantonly dragged in the mud by fellows who were either boys, toddlers or yet unborn, when fundamentals or principles that were to be corner stones of our policy or philosophy were crafted. These were principles which in essence provided for multi-partisan and allowed Batswana to freely form parties whose sole interest is to serve Botswana to the best of their ability. Not to “eat” or to “boot-lick”. It is the fellows who say they are in the high position of the party who claim that they are there to ‘eat’ and those in the executive of the Government who are saying they are there to ‘boot-lick’ who bring the party into disrepute, that should be brought before the council of the elders to answer for their sins. Coming back to the point of attending the late Gomolemo’s funeral, I was given the opportunity to speak. Indeed I poured out my heart. To console the family that has lost a beloved son. To console a party that has lost a Leader who meant so much to them, indeed who might have been an invaluable asset to the country. At the end I assured both the family and the party that they need fear no evil. That the whole country was with them in the context of the principles of democracy. I did not speak from a written speech or notes. As I said, I just poured out my heart. However, a friend recorded the speech, down loaded it and favoured me with a copy. I can make a copy available to those who want to grill me.
Posted on: Mon, 08 Sep 2014 11:24:56 +0000
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