I will not apologise, says Kaya

MASERU – A DEFIANT former health minister, Nyapane Kaya, says he will not apologise to the Parliamentary caucus of the ruling parties.
The caucus accuses the outspoken All Basotho Convention (ABC) MP for Mechechane of leaking confidential information.
The joint caucus of the ruling ABC, Alliance of Democrats (AD), Basotho National Party (BNP) and the Reformed Congress of Lesotho (RCL) announced his suspension late last week.

The caucus chairman, Tsoinyane Rapapa (Mosalemane MP), said they suspended Kaya at a meeting last Wednesday because he spoke ill of the AD, the second most powerful partner in the coalition government.
Rapapa said Kaya will not attend caucus meetings until he apologises.

But Kaya told thepost this week that he won’t be showing any contrition and has no intention to stop speaking his mind.
He said as far as he is concerned he can still attend the caucus meetings because he was neither informed of his suspension nor asked to explain his remarks against the AD.

“I do not even understand it because there was never a time I was called,” he said, adding that the “suspension does not bother me at all”.
“I am not desperate for it. They never even called me for confrontation.”
“I do not know exactly where they suspended me from and I do not know their reasons for doing that,” he said.

The caucus can forget about getting an apology because it’s not coming, Kaya said.
“I cannot even think of asking for forgiveness because I cannot say I am sorry for doing nothing wrong.”
“Saying sorry means I did a mistake so in this case I will never ask for forgiveness unless I am given proof that I committed any wrong.”
“I am not worried. I will not bow down to them, I never wronged Basotho so I am not ready to bow down to anyone, if I have to die for that I am ready,” Kaya said.

It would appear that although Kaya’s suspension was publicly announced some senior ABC MPs have not been officially informed about it.
For instance, the ABC caucus chairman Moshoeshoe Fako, MP for Mabote, said he only heard of Kaya’s suspension through the grapevine.
“In my capacity as the ABC caucus chairman, I do not know that he has been suspended and I am surprised,” Fako said.
“By so saying I mean the ABC caucus does not know that one of its members has been suspended from the joint caucus of the four ruling parties for an alleged misbehavior.”

Rapapa said Kaya “is reported to have attacked and embarrassed the Alliance of Democrats leadership.”
The suspension came a few days the AD accused Kaya of attacking its leader Deputy Prime Minister Monyane Moleleki.
This was after Kaya had said “one of the AD leaders” whom he would not mention by name was hostile to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC)’s grilling of rogue public servants.

He said that leader was complaining that the PAC chairman, Movement for Economic Change (MEC) leader Selibe Mochoboroane was gaining political mileage through the PAC’s live broadcast on national television.
Kaya also insinuated that the AD had a hand in sabotaging the PAC’s hearings because some of its members were about to be grilled for various transgressions.

Rapapa said the caucus felt Kaya had crossed the line and should have his wings clipped.
“It is clear that issues discussed in the meetings were spread in newspapers by the member of Mechechane constituency Nyapane Kaya,” Rapapa said.
“Leaking what was said in a caucus is a criminal offence according to standing order No 90.”

He also said the penalty due to such offences is heavy according to the parliament standing orders. MP should not resort to the media because they have various platforms to raise their issues in parliament, Rapapa said.

“We appeal to Members of Parliament and the public to study the regulations governing their parties and the coalition agreement.”
He said MPs should remember that “their responsibility is to keep secrets on matters discussed.”
Kaya, he said, should stop attacking and embarrassing leaders without evidence.

Nkheli Liphoto