Movement for Economic Change Deputy Leader Mantšiuoa Mosothoane
’Marafaele Mohloboli
THE MOVEMENT for Economic Change has called on government to review the judicial system to ensure timely delivery of justice as well as the enforcement of deterrent measures to combat crime in the country.
Mantšiuoa Mosothoane, the deputy leader of MEC, said in addition to handing out stiffer sentences to criminals, the courts should review the regulations to make it harder for suspects of capital offences such as murder to be granted bail.
“When a person is charged with murder they are normally released on bail, back into the community and this does not sit well with the aggrieved who have lost their loved ones,” Ms Mosothoane said yesterday at a press conference in Maseru.
She said while bail was a right, the judiciary ought to exercise caution in granting it as this could lead to mob justice by those who felt aggrieved.
She also called on the courts to expedite trials, adding some cases were pending for more than eight years and this was not good for justice and accountability.
MEC’s Marketing and Communications Secretary, Tšepang Mosena, echoed Ms Mosothoane’s sentiments saying, while they were opposed to vengeance, “The judiciary should hand out befitting sentences to deter to criminals and others like-minded people”.
“We do not support the death sentence but we would like to see criminals getting deterrent sentences and the root causes of such crimes being identified and dealt with.
“This will also help create a healthy society which is not hurting. Giving someone a death penalty won’t reverse the harm that person has done,” Ms Mosena said.
The party also appealed to all women to support each other and play a more active role in politics to ensure the interests of marginalised groups were catered for.
The MEC’s call came barely three days after some members of the Maputsoe community took to the streets on Sunday to petition government to do away with bail in cases of murder and effect stiffer sentences for convictions.
