Billy Ntaote
The decision by Deputy Prime Minister and Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD) leader Mothetjoa Metsing to enter into an alliance with the Democratic Congress (DC) has exposed divisions within the party the leadership has been trying so desperately to conceal.
Since forming government with the All Basotho Convention (ABC) and Basotho National Party (BNP) two years ago, the LCD has enjoyed relative peace, in stark contrast to the infighting which eventually saw the party split in February 2012, giving birth to the DC.
However, Mr Metsing announced at a press conference held in Maseru on Friday last week that the LCD had formed an alliance with the DC and sought to have a coalition government with the party.
Mr Metsing further said the reason for abandoning the BNP and ABC alliance was because ABC leader and Prime Minister, Thomas Thabane, was making unilateral decisions regarding key governance decisions, in violation of the terms of their coalition agreement.
DC leader and former prime minister, Pakalitha Mosisili — who was LCD leader while Mr Metsing was secretary-general before the sensational split — was clear when it was his turn to speak about the new partnership, emphasising a formal agreement had already been signed to seal the deal.
The Lesotho Times has since established under the partnership signed by Dr Mosisili and Mr Metsing on 11 June 2014, the Basotho Batho Democratic Congress (BBDP), Basotho Congress for Democracy (BCP) and Lesotho People’s Congress (LPC) would also be allocated ministerial posts should the DC and LCD form a government “as expected”.
The agreement further states Dr Mosisili would be the prime minister and Mr Metsing his deputy, while both leaders are not going to hold any ministerial posts in the new administration “in order to have a full and contemporaneous overview of the business of government”.
The agreement — signed just a day after King Letsie III signed Dr Thabane’s request to prorogue (suspend) parliament for nine months — further says the LCD would maintain its current ministries, while “the remaining ministries shall lie with the DC”.
According to the agreement, the DC, which has 48 seats while the LCD has 26 in the 120-seat parliament, would then allocate some ministerial/deputy ministerial posts to the BBDP, BCP and LPC.
However, the new partnership has sparked outrage within the LCD, with disgruntled supporters accusing Mr Metsing of making unilateral decisions which they say are not in the best interests of the party.
The irate members further accuse Mr Metsing of using the LCD to “protect himself” against Dr Thabane’s government which they said seemed to be very committed to fighting corruption.
The angry LCD members are also not convinced the decision by Mr Metsing to abandon the ABC and BNP alliance was based on Dr Thabane’s alleged continued disregard of his coalition partners when making key governance decisions, as their leader alleges.
Speaking at an all-day protest held outside the ‘Manthabiseng National Convention Centre on Sunday, the party’s Taung Constituency Committee spokesperson, Mojaki Lesenyeho, said “only a few” LCD Members of Parliament (MPs) and cabinet ministers support the new alliance with the DC.
“More than 60 percent of both MPs, ministers and deputy ministers want the LCD to remain loyal to the current government led by Dr Thabane, and don’t want to join forces with the DC,” he said.
However, Mr Lesenyeho could not be drawn to reveal who exactly, among the LCD bigwigs, is behind and against Mr Metsing, saying the names are being kept a secret “for the time being”.
On his part, Retšelisitsoe Lesale, a representative of LCD Tertiary Students’ Association said “as far as we are concerned”, the party was still in alliance with the Dr Thabane-led government.
“It was a shock to hear that those we entrusted with the powers to run the LCD are now making decisions bent on weakening the party.
“We are here to remind LCD members that the leader and the NEC are not bigger than the party, but were only entrusted with the authority to run it.
“We are also here to motivate our members who are angered by this appalling decision to join forces with the DC; this decision actually taints the image of our party.
“We are also reminding our supporters that the power to appoint and remove any office-bearer lies with the party members,” Mr Lesale said to the jubilant crowd of about 1 000.
Mr Lesale further said members were concerned the LCD leadership appeared to be working against the party’s objectives.
“The NEC is making decisions without informing the general membership, most specifically decisions on who the party should form a coalition government with and what the LCD stands to gain by forming a coalition with certain parties.
“The reasons that have been raised regarding the decision to leave the coalition government are not convincing enough and those reasons do not threaten our status as a party within the current coalition government,” Mr Lesale said.
He further accused the party’s leadership of “tainting” the LCD by sacking then Ministry of Communications, Science and Technology Principal Secretary Nonkululeko Zaly and the Minister of Energy, Meteorology and Water Affairs, Timothy Thahane late last year.
Ms Zaly was sacked after being accused of insubordination while Dr Thahane was given the boot after he was charged with corruption in the courts.
Mr Lesale also accused Mr Metsing of turning himself into “a dictator” who fires other committee members who disagree with his views.
“He fired the secretary-general, Keketso Rantšo and our party spokesperson, Mahlomola Makhube, without any valid reasons except that they had differences.
“We have also realised that the NEC has been contravening the party’s constitution by running the LCD without the Youth League and Women’s League committees.
“The NEC has also failed to call a special elective conference to fill the vacancy left following the firing of the secretary-general,” Mr Lesale said.
Mr Lesale vowed the disgruntled LCD members would protect the current alliance the party has with the ABC and BNP “at all costs”.
The LCD candidate in the May 2012 parliamentary elections for the Berea Constituency, Teboho Motšeleli, did not mince his words as he expressed his disappointment with Mr Metsing’s announcement that the party was forming a new alliance with the DC.
“Ntate Metsing should not use the party to defend himself as an individual, for things we suspect he could be running away from in this ABC-led coalition. Why join people we know have been accused of corruption and fraud?
“Ministers should know they are not above the law and must not expect to be treated like demigods.
“We don’t want to be associated with the DC at all,” Mr Motšeleli said.
He further accused the LCD leader of “failing to forge unity” among party supporters.
“If you have different views to those of our current leadership, you cannot get a job and this is why Ntate Metsing has failed to forge unity amongst us.
“It is surprising that LCD supporters are the most impoverished in this country despite the fact that we are part of government and we have always been in government,” Mr Motšeleli said.
Meanwhile, the LCD this week issued a statement condemning those protesting the DC deal — some of them by burning party regalia bearing Mr Metsing’s image — adding these were not genuine party members.
