- Federation says it is studying party manifestos
- Will meet in congress to decide whom to cast its lot with
SESUPO RANTSIMAKO
Botswana Federation of Public, Private and Parastatal Sector Union (BOFEPUSU) will convene a national congress next month where it will take a stance on support for political parties in the general elections that are due in October.
Made up of different public and private sector trade unions, BOFEPUSU traditionally adopts a resolution on support for participating political parties in general elections.
With the 2024 general elections fast approaching, the president of the influential union federation, Gotlamang Oitsile, says they have been monitoring the manifestos of political parties to inform themselves before adopting a political stance.
Met with four parties
“We have been monitoring the political landscape as the general elections approach,” he said in an interview. “Precisely we are closely looking at the party manifestos. So far we have met with four political parties.
“We have also invited our affiliate unions to appreciate the manifestos of the political parties. The federation is still trying to adopt the best modality that can be used when we take our position on political alignment.
“We will therefore meet next month to either review or continue with the resolution that we adopted for the 2019 general elections.”
Contentious
In the 2014 general elections, the federation rallied behind the united opposition, but the decision proved contentious and sparked considerable debate among the general membership.
Those against the resolution held that BOFEPUSU should be apolitical because its members are not politically homogenous. On the other hand, they believed the resolution was a welcome means of removing the Botswana Democratic Party from power.
The federation changed its stance in the 2019 general elections when resolve for neutrality but urged members to exercise due care and diligence in deciding on whom to vote for.