Part of the former longest serving MP.
Commonwealth all 54 member states.
December.
2024 team.
Ministry and the secretariat support Commonwealth.
GH.
Committee.
It's very organized, highly organized.
We were former ministers and former MPs.
That's how thoroughly organized we are. Branch, branch region.
Congress, it will be the first time in over 58 years. Well, 58 years, the biggest opposition party. We are the biggest opposition party, that must be firmly understood.
The biggest opposition party number, and we have every determination as a party, the party of choice. We are now a party of second choice. By the 15th of December, Saturday or Sunday, but the Monday, let me just say the first Monday after the 15th.
What?
Automatic because you represent a good percentage.
The oldest member of the Central Committee continuous for 30 years.
Before 2018, 2018.
Notice.
I support.
November notice of retirement party. It is with a heavy heart that I write this letter to notify you, your honor, of my intention to retire from my service as the BDP National Treasurer after about 30 years. I have served as both deputy and National Treasurer and now ready to pass on the baton right after the next National Congress. I feel sad that the timing is not exactly what I would like, but hope that the membership will overcome the event. It has been an honor and a privilege to serve BDP and the country. I will be available to help in the transition of finding and training my replacement. I trust that the party will prosper in its future endeavors and I pledge my continued support. Yours faithfully, Abdul.
It's as simple as that. So this mischief, he's resigning, is not in that wave completely.
So you take note that, but the party continues. Women's Wing, so they still full members.
Some of it is panic, I'm guessing. Some of it is anxiety. I don't know. Some of it is some understanding. Yeah, me unfortunately, it's a very, very, very shallow understanding.
Maximum 10 years. Maximum day two days, but maximum 10 years. So now six and a half, three and a half.
Just think about it.
2029, by which time I'll probably be around 68 years old. Again, 68 years old. Now personally, I don't think that is being responsible and taking our party ourselves seriously, even in the eyes of stability and seriousness. For a 5-year term, two terms? I don't think we'll be attracted by a 68-year-old. I don't think we'll be attracted by a 68-year-old recycled. I don't want to subject myself to that. And then, third, I'm satisfied. I've blown a lot of energy that I did not expend in my private life and with my family. I don't want to do that. I don't want to do it. That's why I made that announcement. The major reason also was that there's a lot of talent. It's time for fresh ideas, fresh voices, fresh opportunity. People who are more attracted to the cohort, sending them to go and be presented to Batswana as an option, not recycled material. I'm not interested in putting my party and myself through that. And there's a lot of talent in the party. Personally, I believe, as I still do today, by the time we go to 2029 elections, we need a younger, fresher leadership. Young, young, so that even in 2029 they are still young and are perceived to be young and fresh. 1966, 1965, they were young, they were very young. We need that young one, and we need them young so that we can grow them, so that by 2027, 2028, we will present a vibrant, young, attractive force. You can't do that with old people in my view. I'm talking about my personal view, and this is going to be my very kind advice to the party, for we need freshness. If we've been in power for so long, 58 years, the very fact that we've been in power for 58, we are perceived as old. But we need to rebuild the party really, very important. That's why I don't want to stand. But to really be attractive to young people, they must be attracted to their country. We need young people who project themselves as working for the party, giving to the party, working for the public, giving to the community, so that the community wants them, so they become attractive. That's what you want, not a leadership that's perceived as working for themselves. I'm supposed to be incredibly corrupt. I'm dying for somebody to prove it to me. I'm supposed to have hundreds of houses, even overseas. I would die for somebody to show me those.
We want the party, whether true or false, going to be seen, and it will be true, that these are servant leaders, real servant leaders. That's what I think will be attractive.
We would have committed a great mistake.
The face of the party.
For the wonderful work they have done with this party, keeping a party in power for 58 years is no easy task. I'm very proud of what I've done with my party, my colleagues in the party. I'm also very proud that against what may have been a perception of who we might be, against even the most vicious intimidation, we very gladly, consistent with the ideals of democratic practice, which we are, we challenge anybody. We handed over power. We handed over power. I have no interest in it, but what not. And I even told the party leadership, even if we were 50 votes short, I was not going to contest. We were going to concede. You know why? Because the stability, the peace, the security of this country is supreme and the most supreme. It will be on us. History would change forever. I was not prepared for that to be on this count. BDP, we are a clean, ethical, democratic party, so we demonstrated it, we proved it. And for those who are ill-informed, for I called in and considered early enough, they don't know how to follow and track votes about seats counted that time. But the tally all over the country, we were at one or two votes the seats, the 20, and the tally of the votes around the country, there was no way that we were going to make 31 seats. No chance in heaven. And so what was the mischief of me pretending that I might form a government? It was easy. Call it. I will not be in government, and I accept I won't be in government. That's why I started a conversation. His Excellency B, I called out to him. And why did I do that? I was giving out early indications of peace. It's like you flushing water.
The country is much more important than you. The beautiful thing about democracy is that you always have a second chance. There's a rematch, like in football and in boxing. Prepare yourself. Five years later, in the regular calendar, or even earlier if there's a by-election, you will have an election.
On behalf of my party, now look at the integrity of this party. Look at the integrity of this nation state, because we in the BDP defined it. We are leaders. That's why I did it. Have a good day.
