By Kefiloe Kajane
A disgruntled group of concerned youth in a statement released this week indicated that on September 17, they received a letter inviting them to make an oral submission before the Portfolio Committee on the prime minister’s ministries and departments, governance, foreign relations and information cluster.
The statement said that on September 22 the youth made oral submissions before that Portfolio Committee. They demand that the regulations allowing for members to receive a monthly allowance of M5 000 be scrapped.
“We reiterated our stance that our legislators are clearly out of touch with the realities we face, particularly since the economy has taken a knock due to Covid-19. We also maintained that there’s a need to enact the independent commission for the remuneration of public office bearers Act.
“We requested the committee to urgently write to the National Reforms Authority to fast track processes regarding the establishment of the commission since it was adopted by Plenary II of the National Reforms. Our expectation is that the committee will present recommendations before the house as per standing Order 79,” the statement read.
The statement indicated that that was after on March 30, the youth released a statement condemning government Gazette Extraordinary Legal Notice Members of Parliament Salaries (Amendment Schedule) Regulations, 2020 before the House which entitles legislators to a monthly M5 000 petrol allowances.
The youth expressed that they requested parliament to establish an Independent Commission for the Remuneration of Public Officer-bearers.
“On April 20, we submitted a petition regarding Members of Parliament (Amendment of Schedule) Regulations of 2020 electronically to the National Assembly. Subsequently on August 20, we intended to deliver a petition which was duly received by parliament against legislators for enacting the Members of Parliament (Amendment of schedule) Regulations of 2020.
“Unfortunately, we failed to deliver the petition since the Lesotho Mounted Police Service detained us for five hours without charge. Last week we instructed our attorneys to institute legal proceedings against parliament for contravening Standing Order 79.
“The said Standing Order under petitions notes: “All petitions to the National Assembly shall be handed to the Clerk who shall immediately refer them to the Speaker and cause their publication in the ATC (Announcements, tabling and Committee Reports) under announcements bearing the following: the name of the petitioner, the date received.” It adds: “The Speaker shall at the earliest convenience, refer the petition to the relevant committee or Ministry for appropriate action.
“A committee or ministry to which a petition is referred shall report back to the House within twenty working days from the date of referral. The submission thereof shall be published in the ATC and may, if deemed appropriate, be debated in the House Consequently,” the statement said.
This follows last month planned march to parliament after the prime minister’s failure to respond to their grievances. The march that was meant to take place on August 20 was meant to deliver a petition to the Leader of the House, urging him to revoke the members of parliament (Amendment of schedule) regulation of 2020.
