AD Leader Monyane Moleleki
’Marafaele Mohloboli
ALLIANCE of Democrats (AD) leader, Monyane Moleleki, says the call for elections was unnecessary and utterly selfish on the part of outgoing Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili.
Mr Moleleki said this while addressing a press conference at the Hotel Victoria in Maseru which had been called to announce a new coalition government comprising of the AD, the All Basotho Convention (ABC), the Basotho National Party (BNP) and the Reformed Congress of Lesotho (RCL).
After Saturday’s snap polls, the ABC combined its 48 seats with those of the AD (nine seats), (five) and the RCL (one) to bring the total to 63 seats, thus enabling them to pass the 61 seat threshold required to form government in the 120 seat National Assembly.
Addressing the press conference yesterday, Mr Moleleki said he felt vindicated to have quit his cabinet post (as Police Minister in November 2016) as the general elections enabled him and his partners to form government as they had intended when they passed a vote of no confidence in parliament against Dr Mosisili’s government on 1 March 2017.
The then opposition bloc had hoped to form a new government immediately after the no confidence vote but their plans were scuttled when King Letsie III heeded Dr Mosisili’s advice to dissolve the Ninth Parliament and call for elections which were held on Saturday.
“A patriotic Prime Minister, who knew that the result would be as it is today should have had the humility and the patriotism to accept a change of government in parliament,” Mr Moleleki said yesterday.
“Regarding whether the PM had a right to opt for elections, of course he did, but it was unpatriotic, inconsiderate, very selfish and intransigent and we didn’t need that intransigence.”
Mr Moleleki however, said they would set up a commission of truth and reconciliation to give all those who had erred a chance to come clean “and this shall start with us as the four leaders sitting here before you”.
The press conference was also attended by ABC leader Thomas Thabane who is set to bounce back as Prime Minister, BNP leader, Thesele ‘Maseribane and RCL leader Keketso Rantšo.
“Yes, I have been vindicated, there was no need for a general election. Absolutely no necessity at all,” Mr Moleleki said, adding the M246 million outlay on elections was not necessary in the first place.
“If we were to express this as new households getting electricity connections, or kilometres of new roads, or scholarships for which some students have paid with their lives, it would come to a very clear tangible indication that we never needed to have an election,” he said.