‘Mantšali Phakoana
A parliament portfolio committee has resolved to summon the Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) commander, Lieutenant General Mojalefa Letsoela, following a controversial statement he made over change of power in government.
The portfolio committee on the prime minister’s ministries and departments, governance, foreign relations and information cluster says it wants the army bossto explain what he meant when he said he cannot manage to transfer the flag and the constitution again.
This was revealed this week by the chairperson of the portfolio committee, Rethabile Letlailana, who is also the MP for Lithoteng constituency.
Letlailana told theReporter in an interview on Tuesday that a summon would be issued at the earliest possible time for Lt Gen Letsoela and Prime Minister Sam Matekane, who is also the minister of defence, to appear before the Committee.
“We are yet to write to the defence minister (Matekane) to ask him to bring along this soldier before the Committee for him to explain what he meant by such statement,” he noted.
He indicated that he was not sure how long it would take for the Committee secretary to write the summon.
Letlailana said it was worrisome that the commander’s statement was similar to the one that was made by the country’s security bosses last week, where they declared that they would never allow change of government in a parliament no confidence motion.
The decision to summon Lt Gen Letsoela comes after he made the shocking remarks during an address to army personnel.
In a video that was posted on the LDF Facebook page on Monday this week, he was heard saying he cannot manage to transfer the national flag and the country’s constitution again.
Transferring the constitution and flag is a symbolic act performed by an army commander on the occasion to inaugurate a new prime minister.
“…As for the current situation, we will deal with it, you should just watch and applaud. I cannot manage to transfer the flag and the constitution again,” Lt Gen Letsoela said. This was probably in reference to moves by the opposition to remove Matekane through a motion of no confidence in parliament.
“This act of me always moving around and transferring the flag and the constitution like a mad man, will never happen again. I cannot do it. It will have to go somewhere, perhaps in between,” he is seen and heard telling the army personnel.
The video, which was not clear going forward, was later removed.
Efforts to reach Lt Gen Letsoela to explain his statement further before going to print were fruitless.
Contacted for comment, head of LDF Public Affairs Office Lieutenant Colonel (Lt Col) Sakeng Lekola declined to interpret Lt Gen Letsoela’s statement nor comment on it.
“The Public Affairs Office has seen the video and we are even aware that it has escalated to becoming parliament agenda.
“But like you said, he (Lt Gen Letsoela) made that statement on his own accord, therefore the LDF Public Affairs Office is not in a position to interpret what he meant,” Lt Col Lekola noted.
Members of Parliament (MPs) and civil society have not taken lightly to Lt Gen Letsoela’s remarks.
Standing on a point of order on Monday this week, Letlailana asked the speaker of the National Assembly, Tlohang Sekhamane, to address the matter and assure them that the House was still in existence.
Letlailana noted that the commander’s statement sounded as though the army had seized control of the country.
He said the statement was a threat to the MPs and Lesotho’s democracy. There was therefore, need for a clear explanation from both the speaker of the National Assembly and the army commander.
Letlailana also pleaded with Sekhamane to inform the MPs if there was any change of government and if the country was still a democracy or now under the military.
“Hon Speaker, the statement made by this particular soldier (commander) gives the impression that the same man is superior to the constitution of this country.
“The same soldier who is claiming that he cannot transfer the constitution and the flag is a public servant who was hired for the same purpose among other duties, and he will do as required.
“This country is not a joke. It is not a clown, that he must know,” Letlailana said.
In a recent joint statement, the Lesotho Mounted Police Service (LMPS) commissioner, Holomo Molibeli, National Security Services (NSS) director, Pheello Ralenkoane and Letsoela as army boss vowed not to allow any change of government through a parliament vote of no confidence in Matekane’s government.
The opposition recently filed such motion via the Basotho National Party (BNP) leader, Machesetsa Mofomobe, who was seconded by Makhaleng MP Mootsi Lehata.
The duo wants the leader of opposition, Mathibeli Mokhothu be appointed prime minister.
The motion was later challenged by the Revolution for Prosperity MP for Thaba-Moea constituency, Lejone Puseletso.
Puseletso is seeking to shelve the no-confidence motion pending completion of the political and security reforms.
The constitutional court yesterday postponed the case to October 31.
In a statement issued on the day the motion was to be debated in the National Assembly, the three security bosses warned that no change of government would take place in parliament as that is opposed to what Basotho want in the national reforms.
Matekane has sought the intervention of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to block the no confidence motion against him to allow his government to finalise the national reforms process.
Matekane last Friday wrote a letter to the Chairperson of the SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security Cooperation, Zambian president Hakainde Hichilema.
Part of the letter reads: “Your Excellency, it is evident that the motion of no confidence in question is motivated by greed, selfishness and the desire to subvert our democratic norms and principles.
“Moreover, there are certain individuals in parliament who are determined to destabilise the government with the ultimate goal of derailing the reforms agenda for their own selfish interests, with little or no regard for ‘the Lesotho Basotho want’,” he indicated.
He is also reportedly running around to court some opposition MPs to ensure he has the required numbers to remain as PM.
In reaction to the current political situation in the country, the Delegation of the European Union to Lesotho this week said it trusts that all civilian and military institutions in the country will respect the constitution and act within the remit of their respective mandates and in accordance with the democratic values to which they are committed.
“In the spirit of the Lesotho-EU partnership, the Delegation sincerely hopes for a peaceful resolution of the crisis for the sake of all people of Lesotho,” it stressed.
During a Senate sitting on Tuesday this week, Thaba-Bosiu Principal Chief Khoabane Theko pointed out that security agencies have always been turned into politicians’ tools to destabilise the country.
He blamed political leaders for involving security agencies in their fights which end up in bloodbaths.
“When you (politicians) fight, security agencies are always caught in between. Just like in the previous regimes, senior officers like Maaparankoe (former LDF commander, Lt Gen Mahao), Ntate Motšomotšo (former LDF commander Lt Gen Khoantle) were killed because of politics.
“This is why I can stand here boldly and say Ntate Letsoela’s recent statement meant they (security agencies) were tired of being used by politicians.
“He was implying that army forces have been caught in between political squabbles for long and that ended up in them being murdered. That is why even if he (Lt Gen Letsoela) could say: ‘I am tired’ of seeing army bosses being murdered during day light’ I would agree with him,” Chief Khoabane said.
He added that he was in full support of the Lt Gen Letsoela’s remarks that he could not continue to go back and forth always transferring the constitution and the flag in the ‘games’ played by politicians who cannot accept that they have were ‘rejected’ by the nation during the elections, therefore intend to ‘hijack’ the government that was voted by the same nation.
Local non-governmental organisation, the Transformation Resource Centre (TRC) has also raised concern over the security agencies’ interference in constitutional parliamentary processes.
Speaking at the 77th Ordinary session of the African Commission on human and people’s rights held in Arusha, Tanzania on October, 20 2023, TRC’s Mokitimi Tšosane and Mabela Lehloenya said their view is that heads of the security institutions cannot decree what politicians should or should not do in exercising their constitutional powers in parliament.
“The TRC is particularly concerned at the intrusion of security institutions in the legitimate political process and governance, which is prohibited by the Constitution and contravenes core rule of law principles concerning the respective functions of the said agencies and members of parliament in the National Assembly,” they said in their statement to the meeting.
Last week, the Lesotho Council of Non-Governmental Organisation (LCN) an umbrella organisation for Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) in Lesotho, Law Society of Lesotho, and Advocates for Supremacy of the Constitution (Section 2) and the Christian Council of Lesotho (CCL) also expressed disdain over what they described as security agencies’ interference in political affairs.
LCN called on the security bosses to refrain from involving their agencies in matters which once drove Lesotho into instability.
Section 2 implored all stakeholders to uphold the principles of democratic governance, respect for the Constitution, and the rule of law.
“The Constitution of Lesotho is the supreme law of the land, and it is incumbent upon all institutions, including the security forces, to respect and uphold its tenets,” the Law Society said.
