Never again!

BNFYL President Inaugural Speech

Delivered to the BNFYL Congress in Mahalapye,
Pekenene CJSS
29th May 2016

By: Cde
Khumoekae 'Motsabakedi' Richard
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1. Sengwe le sengwe se na le nako ya sone mme ebile fa motlha o gorogile o a bo o

gorogile. Se re ka se buang ke gore: Pelo tshweu boela mannong, mmatla sa gagwe o
se bone! There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the
heavens; everything that happens in this world happens at the time God chooses. So
this is the time, the chosen time, the appointed time and the anointed time. This youth
league is a special youth league in the historic annals of the BNF as it will usher it
into the state power after over 50 years of the struggle. Bless God. Bless God, who
speaks through his people, for their voice is His voice. To God I ask nothing but the
Biblical Solomonic Wisdom and emotional intelligence to lead your people. I speak
here to my God and to the beautiful people of Botswana. I say: never again; never
again shall we see a dormant and docile Botswana National Front Youth League at
least in our epochal era. We will revolutionize the youth geo-politics. We will redefine
leadership. I however should thank the out-going youth league much as I am
saluting the other lobby group for a good contest for their contribution in the
struggle: to emancipate the youth populace!
2. Let us all remember that the demographic profile of Botswana is young. Youth are the
majority yet we have been spectacularly turned into enfeebled slaves by our own evil
government who have condemned us to the deep horizons of poverty, unemployment
and underemployment: through programmes of maximum exploitation and
profiteering. But the good thing is that we still have faith in our own abilities and
potential. As the BNFYL, and indeed the UDCYL, we shall metamorphose day by
day, night by night, into giants we will build a culture of active youth participation
in policy-formulation and decision making in all governmental levels. We refuse. We
reject. We refuse to become spectators in the running and management of our
blossoming economy. Never again shall that order prevail. By thunder, by fire, by
force, we will ensure everyone take us serious!
3. Never again; never again shall we have a dormant and docile youth league, which is
somewhat moribund beyond press conferences. Whereas BNF have the best political
literature and ideological philosophy in Botswana, whereas best policies and
programmes have been coined and preached our diagnosis for stagnation or not
assuming state power tells us that failure to organize and mobilize young souls have
chiefly denied us state power. We step up to mobilize, organize, educate and
'conscientise all progressive guerrillas into a formidable and dynamic political force
that can safe-guard our future. The BNFYL belongs to the streets not in offices and
conference rooms of opulence and comfort. It is called Combat! Combat, my friends
Combat!
4. Never again; never again shall the youth league be regionalized, privatized and
personalized to serve the whims and pleasures of a selected few. That is why we
vow to defy the odds to revive and erect youth structures across the country. Not only
that, the youth I will lead shall have 16 ten-membered sub-committees in each
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portfolio to ensure participation and inclusive governance. This will be done in two
months.
5. We shall be calling Annual Conferences as per the Constitution to discuss issues of
national concern, so as to nurture the true spirit of democratic centralism to avoid
and avert a situation where leaders do all the thinking and planning for the Masses.
This gesture will effectively and immediately mean as the BNF youth, we say
goodbye to a situation where youth only meet for elections and thereafter their
leadership disappear into thin air. We want BNF youth to own and control their youth
league in the actual and practical sense.
6. Never again; never again shall the youth league become a social club a platform
for leisure, fame and popularity, wherein leaders are in pursuit of celebrity status.
Power, especially political power is not meant for elegance or bragging but to ensure
social uplift and the uncompromised betterment of humanity. We will not decorate the
BNFYL office but take war to the door step of the BDP. We will not decorate the
BNFYL office for we are not flowers but agents of change, Regime Change!
7. The days of using the 1988 Constitution is over. Never again shall we go to the next
elective congress with the same Constitution but shall adopt the 2007 amended draft.
Once we assume power, we do not intend to reinvent the wheel, but rather we will
instruct our Legal Affairs custodian to analyze the draft Constitution and make
presentation to the BNFYL central committee either for refining the draft or adopt it
as it is. Thereafter we will give the BNF central committee (mother body) thirty (30)
days to make their contribution before we circulate it to the BNFYL structures
country wide. We have perused the said draft Constitution and we agree with many of
its new provisions. We further promise that this crucial draft constitution will be
adopted within eighteen (18) months of assuming office.
8. The Botswana National Front Youth-League has continued for years now without a
blue print that guides the leagues interpretation on youth matters. For the purpose of
reference and uniformity, we ought to have an extensive and comprehensive
document written in black and white which elucidates youth policies; policies that are
congruent with the Social Democratic ideological framework. We aim to draft a BNF
Youths League Economic, Political and Academic Freedom Charter. As we assume
power, we promise to put the draft in place within six (6) months and the other six (6)
months will be for BNFYL structures to discuss, make input where necessary, as well
as input from other stakeholders (e.g. tertiary schools, secondary schools, churches,
NGOs, Trade unions, Media, traditional leaders and business sector). We intend to
have the draft charter ready for adoption either in 2017 Easter holidays or July 2017
President Holidays.
9. We will reintroduce Political classes to combat ideological inertia and decline in BNF
an era or period of ideological decay, where political education has been put in
abeyance and public rallies became the centre of attraction. Cde Otsweletse Moupo, a
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former BNF President teaches in his book dubbed Introduction to party Organization
that: "although the BNF pays lip-service to political education, it has abandoned it. It
is important that a serious programme of political education be reintroduced as part of
the process of rebuilding the party. Induction courses must be conducted to orientate
new members with basic knowledge of the party, organizational principles and
policies. Various courses must be conducted for different levels for the organization
including the leadership. Particular attention has to be paid to the youth because there
is where the new generation of leaders is to be nurtured and trained." Furthermore we
will constantly hold periodic pubic lectures, debates and discussions on topical issues
of national importance. The classes will start in 4 months.
10. We promise to form strategic alliances with groups such as Student Representative
Council (SRC) in all tertiary institutions, Churches, non-unionized workers e.g.
Ipelegeng, the Disabled and other civil societies and community based organizations
with an aim to help emancipate and liberate them. More crucially, there are a lot of
potential voters in these groups of people, so failure to relate with them, means that
the party is directly losing thousands of votes. In light of this, we shall aggressively
invade all tertiary institution, and where possible, senior schools to form organizations
that would affiliate to youth league it is all about the 2019 Combat! It is for this
reason that we concur with Section 13 (vi) of the BNFYL Constitution Draft which
recognizes that there shall be a National MASS Student Council, whilst section 14.3
guarantees auxiliary bodies and group members 30 delegates to participate in the
league congress. The development will bring to a sudden end a situation where
National MASS Student Council is treated as a structure of convenience.
Furthermore, using Marxism-Leninism political ideologies as a guiding tool, we
promise to strengthen and/or consolidate a meaningful relation between the youth
league and Labour movements. We also intend strengthen the relationship with our
fraternal friends through the office of the International affairs secretary.
11. In realizing the concept of Political Marketing which is the professionalization of
politics in its entirety we intend to have an official Interactive BNFYL Website to
converse and connect to the youth populace. The website will also provide the youth
with party literature online, policy documents, BNFYL constitution etc. We intend to
have a properly managed official BNFYL Facebook page. All these are contemporary
ways that speak to political marketing. Political marketing also entails, "the use of
marketing tools, concepts and importantly principles within the fields of policy
development, campaign and internal relations within political parties and
organizations" (Lillleker, 2006:4). In political marketing, experts such as
demographers, economists, media professionals, lawyers, statisticians, historians and
academics are engaged. Some of them as consultants... (Tutwane, 2012). We will
exactly do that.
12. Good people, as I end my speech, here is my peroration: I accept your endorsement
mandating us to lead the BNFYL. We lead not because we are 'the best things' to ever
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happen to the movement but simply because the masses have entrusted, instructed and
allowed us through the ballot. These Masses are the employers. Therefore these
Masses should forever rule, and as leaders we should lead as instructed. Never again:
never again shall the Masses be side-lined, banned or put in exile in their own home:
the BNFYL!
13. To the BDP we say: Ntwa e etla, ntwa e tlile. We want the unconditional
implementation of the Kedilwe Commission: Revised National Policy on Education.
We want remedial and corrective action on the Lesetedi Commission that deals with
land question. We want all corrupt mafia and fascist agents to rot in jail! Corruption
must fall! Nepotism must fall! Cronyism must fall. The BDP must fall and fall
heavily! We want change regime change! The nation should brace for a spectacular
in as far as 2019 general elections is concerned. The BDP should brace for a serious
battle. Now speaking as the captain of the ship, I say: I know the BDP would not take
kindly to the wars we shall wage, and at one point they will play dirty and dangerous:
nonetheless it is a battle I will fight with my troop of combatants; as your servant I am
prepared to take a bullet for serving you good people. Hair-raising as it is, it is a risk I
am prepared to face; and a pain I am prepared to endure. It is a choice I have made. It
is a route I have chosen to take. My passionate conviction, my animate instincts, my
firm political and spiritual creed tells me combat and combat harder for God is on our
side. I will do exactly that: Combat!
14. We should not despair but believe. We should not only believe but have faith. We
should not only talk but walk the talk! We cannot speak in silence, only God does!
Therefore, we must act and act now. When I took the responsibility to lead UB
students as their SRC President, in the year of our Lord 2011, like many of my
predecessors, I said to them then, and I say to you today:
"The deep rooted oppression by the Regime shall one day, be uprooted. We cannot sit
back and watch as Batswana's rights are being trampled upon; when our people's
future is being dragged into doom and gloom. Together with the like-minded warriors,
we shall fight until he who the cap fits has worn it; until the day social-justice thrives
over the selfish tendencies of our own government; until Batswana's rights triumph
over the capitalists' imperatives and their poetic cronies".
15. Never again
Lastly beloved comrades I say: There is only one BNF on earth. We are one
party! We are one people! We belong here, all of us belong here. Before and after
these elections we remain one family, the family of the Gold, Green and Black Puo
Phaa! In so doing I hereby officially disband the lobby group Batsabakedi (though my
name Motsabakedi shall remain) and simultaneously extend an olive branch to the
then Kago Team. Let the comradeship and camaraderie spirit prevail. Morena a re
babalele; Morena a re phatshimisetse sefatlhego sa gagwe; Morena a re tshwitifaletse
masego le matlhogonolo; Morena a re tshware ka seatla mme a re tataise, are

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tsamaise mo ditseleng tsa tshiamo, a re ntshe mo ditseleng tsa tshiamololoka ebile

ke Morena yo o re utlwang fa re kgweretlha! A kagiso, thokgamo le bomolemo jwa
gagwe bonne le rona ka bosakhutleng. A go tsabakelweng batho betsho! I thank you.
Shalom!

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