…DC leader says premier no longer has mandate to rule after losing LCD support
Letuka Chafotsa
ROTHE – The main opposition Democratic Congress (DC) held its third leadership conference in Masite last weekend.
The conference, held in Rothe constituency, was attended by the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC), women’s and youth leagues, chairpersons, secretaries and treasurers from each of the country’s 80 constituencies, Gauteng and Free State committees, Members of Parliament (MP) and councillors.
Speaking at the conference, party leader and former Prime Minister, Pakalitha Mosisili, said DC supporters should be prepared for the early general election as recommended by the Southern African Development Community (DC), and ensure the party returns to power. SADC has recommended Lesotho holds elections before the initial date of 2017 to ensure political stability returns to the kingdom.
Dr Mosisili ceded power to a coalition government led by All Basotho Convention (ABC) leader Thomas Thabane, after his party had failed to garner at least 61 of the 120 seats in Parliament in the 26 May 2012 election as required by the country’s constitution, but on Sunday took a swipe at his predecessor whom he accused of “clinging” to the premiership against the wishes of the people.
“The Abia constituency MP, Thomas Motsoahae Thabane, should leave State House and go home; he no longer has the majority in parliament because of his selfishness and the way he treated the Deputy Prime Minister, Mothejoa Metsing and his Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD),” Dr Mosisili said.
“Ntate Tom, you stabbed yourself by your decision to prorogue parliament (for nine months on 10 June 2014 to avoid a vote-of-no-confidence being passed in his leadership) without consulting anyone; that decision was not in the best interest of the nation but your own. You violated the nation’s democratic right of representation in parliament, which is why the LCD is no longer with you.”
Dr Thabane, he added, should emulate him by allowing “democratic principles to manifest and not to cling to power when it’s obvious he now lacks the majority which qualified him to be the prime minister in the first place”.
After the ABC, LCD and Basotho National Party (BNP) decided to pool their parliamentary seats together, the alliance then chose Dr Thabane to be the premier, while LCD leader Metsing was his deputy and BNP leader Thesele ‘Maseribane became Minister of Gender, Youth, Sports and Recreation. However, Mr Metsing’s faction of the LCD has since indicated it no longer wants to be part of the ABC/BNP alliance, leading to the collapse of the government and SADC’s intervention and mediation by various stakeholders, among them the Christian Council of Lesotho and the Lesotho Council of Nongovernmental Organisations.
