SONNY SERITE
Just on the heels of the much-publicised resignation of Botswana National Front Youth League (BNFYL) president Khumoekae Richard last week, another youth league committee member has tendered her resignation from the BNF.
BNFYL Secretary for Women Affairs Lindy Mere has announced her resignation from both the youth league and the BNF in a letter dated 16th October addressed to the BNFYL Secretary General titled ‘IN THIS POLITICAL TURBULENCE: I CHOOSE TO GO WITH A PROGRESSIVE WAVE’. She writes that it is an undeniable fact that the BNF and its maladministration do not offer a conducive environment for progressiveness in any way possible and neither is it conducive for growth and development of young people.
‘‘The BNFYL Publicity Secretary and BNFYL President resigned from the Youth League recently. This is by all measure, a big loss to the young people in the party and the BNF itself. But I understood that my comrades have had enough of the spirited abuse led by those who lost elections both at Mahalapye and F/town Congresses,” she wrote in the resignation letter.
Mere asserted that those who recently resigned from the BNFYL had accurately narrated what is happening in the party. ‘‘I fully identify with all they said and confirm every word, including the refusal to hand over by the previous Youth Leadership and the disappearance of the monies accrued from the Mahalapye Congress. As the Youth League we never saw the money nor heard its whereabouts despite raising the matter internally. Our issue was brushed off. Leaders failed a simple leadership test,’’ she charged.
She also indicated that while some of them in the youth league hardly talk about issues affecting the organisation, they do however have eyes to see and brains to think, analyse, process every information and reason with it. Mere revealed in her letter that recently following the departure of Richard, the ‘‘Secret Society/ Fear Fokol connived and released a statement purporting to be the Youth league and used the acting BNFYL President without even our knowledge. This is how things are done in BNF. The elected structures are but nothing except tools of abuse. I think I have had enough.’’
Mere disagreed with those who argue that taking matters outside the party was indiscipline, insisting that the truth is that internal party structures are not functional at all. She also indicated that they had tried their best to address concerns internally since May 2016. ‘’It was now best to convey the message to the BNF membership through other forums since congresses and conferences are stage managed and debate is highly stifled nowadays. It is now the duty of every BNF member not to attack those who conveyed the truth to them, but to engage the contents of the message and call those liable to account,’’ reads part of Mere’s resignation letter.
“I hereby tender in my resignation from the BNFYL and the BNF to join other Progressive minds seeking to bring a progressive alternative to the BDP misguided rule. Thank you to everyone,’’she concluded.
Design Notes: Photo BNFYL Secretary for Women Affairs Lindy Mere
Pull out quotes: ‘‘I fully associate with all what they said and confirm every word, including the refusal to hand over by the previous Youth Leadership and the disappearance of the monies accrued from the Mahalapye Congress.”