Pascalinah Kabi
DEMOCRATIC Congress (DC) deputy leader Monyane Moleleki has described Sunday’s protest march as a smokescreen aimed at deceiving Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili by political “nonentities” like Bokang Ramatšella.
Mr Moleleki who is also Police and Public Safety Minister was one of senior government and DC officials conspicuous by their absence during the march meant to show “full solidarity” with the coalition government in Maseru on Sunday.
Instead, Mr Moleleki held a rally in his Machache constituency, where he told supporters he felt “insulted” by an invitation by Mr Ramatšella to join the protest march.
“I was baffled and insulted by the invitation. I have never heard or seen such a thing in my entire life where a nonentity comes to me, the deputy party leader, saying they were inviting me to a protest march in solidarity with my own leader,” Mr Moleleki said.
“I must therefore tell you I am Monyane Moleleki from Machache constituency. I will never support a sorry excuse of a protest march.”
He said there was no way he would have attended the march without an instruction from the party Secretary-General Ralechate ‘Mokose, Dr Mosisili or the DC executive committee, women’s and youth leagues.
“People like Ramatšella did not elect the PM. Machache voters and I elected Pakalitha Mosisili last year. That means they are deceiving him by saying they are supporting him because they did not elect him in 2015,” said Mr Moleleki.
“I must also inform you that DC finances will be audited on 30 November this year, and those financials include subscription fees. I have paid my subscription fees for 10 years.”
He said like other parties, the DC had decided that all their MPs should pay M500 monthly contributions to support the party.
“I have paid up until March 2017 and if there is anyone who owes the other it would be the DC owing me,” Mr Moleleki said.
“Yet those who invited me to the march are not subscribed members of the DC.”
He said Mr Ramatšella was a “joke” and a political shapeshifter.
“Ramatšella is a joke. He was a Lesotho People’s Congress (LPC) executive committee member, and during last year’s elections, Ntate Ramatšella appeared on the Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD) proportional representation list yet he was an LPC member. What do you call someone like that? Untrustworthy and a deceiver,” Mr Moleleki said.
He said it was therefore baffling a controversial politician like Mr Ramatšella “had the audacity” to invite him to a protest march.
“I don’t know which party he voted for between DC and LCD in the 2015 election. We will soon go for the local government elections and I don’t know which party he will vote for,” Mr Moleleki said.
Commenting on the minister’s remarks, Mr Ramatšella accused Mr Moleleki of being one of the party officials fighting the premier behind his back. He said Mr Moleleki was actually the one “deceiving” Dr Mosisili.
“The truth is that Ntate Moleleki’s Sunday rally simply showed he did not believe what he saw on Sunday during the protest march, and out of fear, he resorted to holding the rally as an act of desperation, fear and anger,” Mr Ramatšella said.
He accused Mr Moleleki of resorting to “petty” politics instead of briefing his constituents about government policies and issues affecting them as citizens.
“This simply showed how petty Ntate Moleleki is. Instead of addressing real issues affecting voters in his constituency, he decided to talk about individuals at the rally where he invited Basotho National Party and All Basotho Convention supporters.”
Mr Ramatšella said it was now “an open secret” Mr Moleleki wanted to hand back power to the nationalists.
“Although Ntate Moleleki loves bragging that he is a true congress man, we know his roots are in the nationalists’ ideology and he has never changed. He has always served the dirty nationalist agenda,” he said.
“We have seen his true colours and he can kiss goodbye his dreams of becoming the next prime minister.”
Mr Ramatšella also said it was important for Mr Moleleki and others to understand that were it not for the LPC’s seat, “Dr Mosisili would not be prime minister”.
“I did not elect Ntate Mosisili as DC leader. I elected him as PM. My vote gave LPC enough numbers to be a coalition government partner and that is how I elected Ntate Mosisili as PM, as did the LCD, National Independence Party, Marematlou Freedom Party, Basotho Congress Party and Popular Front for Democracy supporters,” he said.