’Marafaele Mohloboli
THE leader of newly-established Alliance of Democrats (AD) party, Monyane Moleleki says apart from the name change, his agreement with former premier Thomas Thabane’s All Basotho Convention (ABC) remains in place.
Mr Moleleki reacted to his suspension early this month from his position as deputy leader of the Democratic Congress (DC) led by Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili by establishing the AD.
Mr Moleleki’s suspension along with nine other members of the DC’s national executive committee was the culmination of months of infighting in the party which saw his Lirurubele (loosely translated to mean butterflies) faction engage in several plots to wrest power from Dr Mosisili including last month’s signing of a coalition agreement with the tripartite opposition bloc to oust the seven-party coalition government led by Dr Mosisili.
Under the pact with the All Basotho Convention, Basotho National Party and Reformed Congress of Lesotho, Mr Moleleki would head the coalition for the first 18 months in the event they form government.
This week, Mr Moleleki told the Lesotho Times that even after his departure from the DC, the agreement remained in force.
“The only change in the pact is the name of the parties; where there used to be DC it shall now be AD and everything else remains unchanged,” Mr Moleleki said, adding, “We are just waiting for the re-opening of parliament next year”.
“What I am sure of is that I have a support of 23 members of parliament of which 12 are of the mixed member proportion, as I and 10 others have constituencies.
“We are just waiting for that big day of the re-opening of the parliament and once that happens, myself and the 10 MPs will cross the floor to the opposition and sit next to the ABC MPs and the rest will remain where they are because if they cross they will lose their positions as they got in the House under DC umbrella.”
He however said he was sure of their support in any motion that he or the opposition tabled.
He said he was eagerly awaiting the reopening of parliament as “I am now prepared to move the motion of no confidence against ntate Mosisili unlike in the past when I used to refrain from doing so out of respect”.
“I have lost all the respect I used to have for him because he has also lost it for the people and I doubt that he is the old Dr Mosisili I used to know.”
“I used to say that I would never embarrass my leader with a ‘no confidence’ motion but not anymore, this time I am more than ready as I see him as just another man and not my leader anymore,” Mr Moleleki said.
ABC leader Dr Thabane also confirmed that the pact remains in force, saying, “We entered into that pact and we shall remain faithful to it as long as we are alive”.
He said it was a matter of time before they unseated the government.
