THE All Basotho Convention (ABC) has broken ranks with the opposition after they threw their weight behind the national reforms. Party leader, Nkaku Kabi, said the decision to back the reforms did not signal that the ABC was turning its back against fellow opposition parties in parliament.
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Opposition parties have defiantly refused to back the reforms agenda in parliament in protest against Prime Minister Sam Matekane’s decision not to censure security agency bosses for threatening a coup last year.
The opposition said Matekane must fire army commander Lieutenant General Mojalefa Letsoela and the Director-General of the National Security Service (NSS) Pheello Ralenkoane.
Holomo Molibeli, who was the police boss, has since retired from the service.
The trio courted controversy after they threatened a coup after MPs pushed a motion of no-confidence against Matekane.
All eight MPs for the ABC this week attended government-sponsored meetings to work on the reforms. The meetings took place on Monday and Tuesday.
The ABC’s spokesman, Mphonyane Lebesa, said they are still part of the opposition but they firmly support the reforms.
“We have started these reforms and we want to finalise them,” he said.
He said party leader, Kabi, has been holding rallies countrywide and the message he has been receiving is that the people want the reforms passed in parliament and implemented.
“Reforms have to be implemented against all odds,” Lebesa said.
“Our party has always wanted the reforms to be implemented.”
He said the ABC-led government was the one that invited a Commonwealth representative to advise them on the reforms.
“We had been in a terrible coalition government from 2015 to 17, which saw our leader skipping the country,” Lebesa said.
“Our leader at the time, Thomas Thabane, skipped the country fearing for his life,” he added.
Because of this terrible experience, Lebesa said, they had to see to it that the reforms become a reality.
The reforms were therefore “our baby”, he said.
Speaking on behalf of the opposition, Machesetsa Mofomobe, who leads the Basotho National Party (BNP), said they could only be part of the reforms once the government accedes to their demands.
Mofomobe said they held talks with the government since Monday over the reforms but declined to be part of a workshop on the reforms.
He said they told them that they could not be part of the workshop because whatever was going to be discussed there had to start with talks outside the workshop.
“We will not compromise the conditions we set,” Mofomobe said.
He argued that the security agencies have to be reprimanded and refrain from their misconduct, failing which they would see it as a norm to disrespect the civilian authority.
He said they would only be part of the reforms if the government acts against the security bosses.
He also said some of their demands are that “the government has to ensure that the vacant statutory positions are filled by people appointed temporarily” pending the passing and implementation of the reforms.
Mofomobe argued that after the passing and implementation of the reforms the government can then hire statutory position holders permanently.
If done before that, he said, the danger is that they would be hired based on their political association, a practice the reforms are seeking to abolish.
“We still need an answer from the government regarding the statement by heads of security institutions that they would not tolerate a vote of no-confidence taking place in parliament,” he said.
“The government has to withdraw that statement.”
Mofomobe said they have an additional demand, that Deputy Prime Minister Nthomeng Majara should be reprimanded for dictating to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) who should be charged.
DPP Advocate Hlalefang Motinyane alleged in court papers that Justice Majara told her to withdraw charges against Minister Selibe Mochoboroane and Mothetjoa Metsing.
Majara Molupe
