..becomes third heavyweight to leave the party in a week
Lekhetho Ntsukunyane
FORMER Energy, Meteorology and Water Affairs minister, Timothy Thahane, has quit the Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD) in a huff after accusing the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) of plotting to block him from contesting next year’s parliamentary election.
Dr Thahane won the Likhetlane constituency in the 26 May 2012 parliamentary poll, but withdrew from the LCD’s primary elections at the 11th hour last weekend after accusing the party’s NEC of backing his main rival, Ben Matasane.
The ex-minister, however, vowed yesterday to contest the poll as an independent candidate, and prove that he remained the people’s choice in Likhetlane despite the LCD leadership’s efforts to frustrate him.
Dr Thahane, who was fired from government in November 2013 after being charged with corruption in the High Court, yesterday told the Lesotho Times why he would stand in the 28 February 2015 snap election.
“First of all, I want to make it clear that my decision to stand as an independent candidate in the upcoming elections effectively cancels my membership of the LCD,” Dr Thahane told the Lesotho Times.
“I decided to withdraw from the primaries at the last minute because I had been convinced the NEC was heavily biased against me, and preferred Mr Matasane over me.”
He continued: “There were several irregularities deliberately engineered by the NEC for me to lose the primary election and make sure Mr Matasane won.”
According to Dr Thahane, the NEC made sure Mr Matasane had the party’s stamp and other documents “so that he could have the authority to do anything and gain political mileage ahead of the primary elections, at my expense”.
“In addition to all these irregularities, Ntate Matasane rearranged constituency committees in violation of party policies and he did all this to gain an unfair advantage over me ahead of the primaries.”
Dr Thahane further said party members had written several letters to the NEC complaining about Mr Matasane’s “unbecoming” behaviour, “but the NEC did nothing about it.”
He further alleged Mr Matasane and the NEC also held “countless” meetings in his constituency without informing him, which he said was a clear sign that he was no longer needed in the LCD.
“They held meetings in a constituency where I was the sitting Member of Parliament, and did this behind my back. The Minister of Energy, Meteorology and Water Affairs, Tšeliso Mokhosi, who is also the LCD Secretary General, even went to the extent of initiating an electricity programme in my constituency without saying anything to me about such a good project for the people of Likhetlane. This could only mean one thing—that I was no longer trusted or wanted in the party.”
However, Dr Thahane told the Lesotho Times he saw this bad blood coming “a long time ago”.
“I could see that these people, the NEC members, were no longer cooperative each time we interacted. I also believed they were working on ensuring I did not represent the party in the constituency, so when I went to the primaries at the weekend, I could see there was a clear and deliberate plan to ensure I was humiliated by losing to Ntate Matasane.”
Dr Thahane further said he had decided to stand as an independent because he believed the people of Likhetlane needed him as he genuinely cared about them.
“I want to contribute to the development of my constituency and its people, in partnership with the government of the day. That government should be willing to put the welfare and well-being of Basotho ahead of personal interests.”
Contacted for comment yesterday, Mr Mokhosi said Dr Thahane should not have chickened out of the primaries and faced Mr Matasane.
“He should have contested the primaries; who knows, he could have won. And had he won, no one was going to challenge the result,” Mr Mokhosi said.
He dismissed Dr Thahane’s allegations that the LCD NEC was working against him, adding nothing could be further from the truth.
“It is so sad to hear about Dr Thahane’s decision to contest the upcoming election independently because we value him a lot in the party. The man has not only done great things for the LCD, but the entire nation as well.
“As the LCD NEC, we could have never interfered in his constituency and conspired to kick him out.”
Mr Mokhosi however, confirmed the NEC had received letters from some LCD members complaining about Mr Matasane’s conduct.
“However, we are finding it difficult to respond to these letters because we expect such correspondence to come to head office through proper channels, like committees, not haphazardly.”
Asked about the electricity programme he is alleged to have initiated in Likhetlane without informing Dr Thahane as the constituency’s MP, Mr Mokhosi said: “What normally happens as officials from my ministry go around the country for water and electricity programmes, is they liaise with community committees. These committees were the ones responsible for informing and inviting other authorities in their areas, including District Administrators, Councilors and the local MP.
“It is definitely not for us as ministers to do so. But if Ntate Thahane advises that we should take that responsibility in future, then I guess we should consider it.”
Meanwhile, Dr Thahane becomes the third high-profile LCD member to leave the party in a week following the unceremonious departure of Public Service minister, Motloheloa Phooko as well as Labour and Employment minister Keketso Rantšo.
Rantšo and Dr Phooko, who also accused the party’s NEC of ganging-up against them “for no apparent reason”, have since formed their own party, the Reformed Congress of Lesotho (RCL).
