Lekhetho Ntsukunyane
BUTHA-BUTHE – Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili has called on Democratic Congress (DC) and congress movement supporters to prepare for elections in light of an opposition parliamentary no-confidence motion.
Addressing throngs of the seven-party coalition’s supporters during the Democratic Congress (DC)’s five-year anniversary celebrations in Butha-Buthe on Saturday, Dr Mosisili reiterated his vow to advise King Letsie III to dissolve parliament and call for elections once his government was ousted.
He also took a swipe at AD leader and former DC deputy leader Monyane Moleleki, accusing him of being “a wolf in sheep’s clothing”.
With Mr Moleleki having left the DC to form the AD last December along with 13 elected legislators, Dr Mosisili conceded that he was leading a minority government.
The DC formed a coalition government with the Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD), Marematlou Freedom Party (MFP), Basotho Congress Party (BCP), National Independent Party (NIP), Lesotho People’s Congress (LPC) and Popular Front for Democracy (PFD) after the snap 28 February 2015 general election resulted in a hung parliament.
The DC won 47 of the 120 parliamentary seats on offer, while the LCD, PFD, BCP, LPC, MFP and NIP took 12, two, one, one, one and one seat respectively.
Of the DC’s 47 seats, 37 were constituency seats while 10 were PR seats.
During the opening ceremony of the National Assembly last Friday, Mr Moleleki and 13 elected AD legislators crossed the floor from the government side to the opposition.
Nine DC proportional representation legislators also pledged their support for the AD, although they could not immediately join Mr Moleleki because they would have been expelled by their party.
The coalition also lost former LCD secretary-general and now Movement for Economic Change leader, Selibe Mochoboroane, who relocated from the government side to the cross-bench in parliament last Friday.
Dr Mosisili conceded that he was presiding over a minority government in light of the new parliamentary configuration.
“As you saw happening in parliament, it is now an undeniable reality that the opposition has more numbers than us,” he said.
“However, it is not strange in a democratic dispensation to rule with a minority government.”
The DC leader said they had stated their position in the event of a no-confidence motion.
“I want to reiterate and assure you that we don’t have a problem with the motion of no confidence filed by the opposition in parliament against the government. That’s democratic. We don’t fear the motion,” he said.
“The recent DC leadership conference made a resolution that in the event of a no-confidence motion, I should approach His Majesty and advise him to dissolve parliament and call for early elections.
“That resolution was further approved by the DC general conference. I am fully mandated to go to the King and advise him to dissolve parliament and call elections because we believe the people should decide who governs them. With all honesty, I am appealing to you my fellow congress people to prepare yourselves for elections because the people’s voice is the voice of God.”
Dr Mosisili also took aim at Mr Moleleki, accusing the AD leader of masquerading as a congress movement stalwart over the years.
“I watched with interest when Honourable Moleleki, who is now leader of Tlenela-Pela (mocking the AD slogan of Pele-Feela), crossed the floor in parliament and joined the nationalists.
“I thanked God for that. I said thank you God of the Congress. If Ntate Moleleki had stayed with us to become the next DC leader, what do you think your DC would turn out to be? We have to thank God for letting him go. God works in mysterious ways; His wonders to perform.”
He said Mr Moleleki had finally shown his “true colours” in joining forces with the opposition alliance. Prior to leaving the DC, Mr Moleleki and then 10 National Executive Committee (NEC) members announced that the party had pulled out of the seven-party coalition and inked a coalition pact with the All Basotho Convention (ABC), Basotho National Party and Reformed Congress of Lesotho last November in which he would lead the alliance for the first 18 months in the event they form government.
ABC leader Thomas Thabane would initially deputise Mr Moleleki and then take over as premier in the latter 18 months.
“Today the enemy of the congress movement is invigorated. As Basotho, we know quite well from history that the revolutionary war has been between the congress and nationalist political movements. When a wolf wants to catch sheep, it masquerades as one of them,” Dr Mosisili charged.
“Some nationalists had masqueraded as congress people among us. When I call them nationalists and refer to us as the congress, they begin to accuse me of dividing the nation. That’s not true.
“They are wolves who masqueraded as one of us. They want us to be ashamed and afraid of being who we are! They should back off! If they are ashamed of being nationalists themselves, let them be. I am warning you; beware of the wolf because it will never change its habits.
He added: “When the enemy came to us as the DC, it was able to use members of our NEC led by the former deputy leader of the party (Mr Moleleki). The enemy deceived us; it sought to steal our DC away from us.
“The former DC NEC members held a press conference in which they declared they had reached a resolution to withdraw the DC from government. How ironic!
“The leader of the party was not part of the resolution! According to the party constitution, the leader is supposed to be chairman of the NEC’s sittings. How on earth does the NEC convene and make a resolution of this magnitude, and also hold a press conference to announce it without engaging the leader who is also prime minister of the same government! That’s the enemy masquerading like a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
“Suddenly, we were told that the DC had signed a coalition agreement with the All Basotho Convention, and yet the decision was made without the DC leader. I only heard about this from a press conference. That’s the wolf in sheep’s clothing.”
Dr Mosisili said elections were now inevitable in light of the “enemy’s machinations”.
“I call upon all the congress men and women from across the country and beyond, to take note that the enemy has been invigorated. What appears to have angered the enemy is the fact that our seven-member coalition is solid.
“Some people started making baseless accusations against our coalition partner, LCD. They were actually jealous of how smoothly I, as the prime minister, worked with LCD leader, Ntate Mothetjoa Metsing, as the deputy prime minister. They should back off! The enemy has now left us. They went to where they belong – to the nationalists. Let them go; it’s good riddance.”
For his part, Mr Metsing waxed lyrical about Dr Mosisili’s leadership acumen, saying the premier was more astute than Dr Thabane.
“As leaders of the six other parties in government, we are thankful to the DC and God for the kind of leadership we have in Ntate Mosisili. We are also thankful to you prime minister. Only a few people have had the opportunity to deputize both you and former prime minister Thomas Thabane,” he said.
“Actually, I think up to now I am the only one privileged to have deputized the two of you. Therefore, when I talk about their leadership capabilities, I know exactly what I am talking about.
“Honestly, Basotho should be thankful for the kind of leadership we have in Ntate Mosisili. Even though there is some political confusion in the country today, the blame cannot be put on Ntate Mosisili.”
Mr Metsing said Dr Mosisili brought the congress parties together and ensured they fought the nationalists as a united force.
“The congress movement is triumphant today because we are united and we have a common enemy. Today, the fight is between the government and opposition, not within the government as was the case during Ntate Thabane’s tenure,” the LCD leader said.
“Basotho almost lost hope in coalition governments until Ntate Mosisili proved to the nation that there was nothing wrong with coalition governments.
“The recent political disturbances are being caused by the opposition and there is nothing sinister about it because oppositions, anywhere in world, do that. That’s democracy.”
