The Socialist Revolutionaries (SR) says it is not giving up onits fight to reverse the M5 000 fuel allowances for MPs.
The party’s deputy leader, Tlohelang Aumane, told thepost that the Sam Matekane-led government had squandered a great chance to reverse the allowance.
“The government had the chance to correct the mistake of allowances, but they chose to approve it,” Aumane said.
He said the government had used its majority in parliament to railroad the motion.
“They do not even have the courtesy to explain their reasons to the public as they had promised to remove those,” he said.
“We are surprised that instead of removing the allowances the Matekane-led government approved them and added more benefits for the prime minister.”
Aumane spoke two days after his party lost the vote to block the allowances in parliament where it only has two MPs.
Party leader Teboho Mojapela and ’Mamarame Matela are the only SR MPs in a parliament of 120 members.
Mojapela’s motion was seconded by the Popular Front for Democracy (PFD) leader, Advocate Lekhetho Rakuoane who is the only MP for his party.
Basotho National Party (BNP)’s two MPs, Machesetsa Mofomobe and ’Masetota Leshota also backed the motion.
Other smaller parties are the Mpulule Political Summit, Lesotho People’s Congress, and Basotho Patriotic Party that have not openly showed their position on the matter.
But their only MPs, Edwing Sehlabaka of Mpulule and Tefo Mapesela of BPP did not attend parliament on Tuesday.
As for the Hope Political Party leader, ’Machabana Lemphane-Letsie, she openly opposed the motion saying Rakuoane and Mojapela “were just being populist”.
The Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD), with its three MPs, took a similar stance in dismissing the motion.
The LCD’s deputy leader, Tšeliso Mokhosi, told thepost last night that “this is just political rhetoric by those who want to tickle the people’s ears”.
“Supporting the motion would be useless because the law has been passed and there was nothing we could do about that,” Mokhosi said.
The LCD leader Mothetjoa Metsing said the motion scared him as “it is not ordinary because it deals with the salary of the members”.
“It might not be right to work on the issue as it is now a lawful salary and benefits to the members,” Metsing said.
“I want to know if the regulations are just normal.”
MPs from the main opposition Democratic Congress (DC) backed the motion although the party was the one that spearheaded the allowances in the last parliament.
The DC’s Thabiso Lekitla, who is the MP for Mekaling, and Mootsi Lehata of Makhaleng openly backed the SR’s motion, saying it was unfair that MPs are paid monthly fuel allowances.
The Movement for Economic Change (MEC), which strongly supported the DC leader Mathibeli Mokhothu when he introduced the allowances last year, opposed the SR’s motion.
The MEC has four MPs who are in the tripartite coalition government with the RFP and the Alliance of Democrats (AD).
The AD flip-flopped on the allowances last year, initially supporting it but making a U-turn when the public started making noise about it.
The AD opposed Mojapela’s motion to cut the allowances.
The RFP has 57 MPs.
Nkheli Liphoto