Big protest next week

MASERU – SOME disgruntled Revolution for Prosperity (RFP) members are touting labour unions and other disaffected groups to join their protest march against Prime Minister Sam Matekane’s government next week.

Plans for the protest have been gathering momentum since last week, with the members’ list of grievances growing. The members, whose numbers and influence in the party is not known, accuse the government of breaking its promises to curb spending, hire on merit and suspend a M5 000 fuel allowance for MPs.

They also allege that Matekane has been “captured” by people who are ill-advising him.

The march was supposed to be tomorrow but one of the organisers, Francis Ramosetle, said they had to postpone it to next week because they are still persuading other groups to join.

Ramosetle said so far several organisations have shown interest to join the protest whose agenda is “to show the Prime Minister that his government has been derailed”.

“We are currently in and out of meetings with different associations lobbying them to support the protest,” Ramosetle said.

He said they have invited the National Clothing and Textile Workers Union (NACTWU), the Independent Democratic Unions of Lesotho (IDUL), and the Maseru Route Transport Operators (MRTO).

BachaShutdown, a civic group that pushes for youth empowerment, has also been invited but says it will make a decision today.

Teachers’ associations have also been invited to join the protest.

The MRTO said they are yet to receive the letter. IDUL representatives were unavailable for comment while the NACTWU leadership said they received theirs but are yet to decide.

Ramosetle said the RFP-led government has diverted from its agenda and “is now hurting and disappointing many people who elected it”.

He said the government has reneged on its campaign promise to cancel the MPs’ fuel allowances.

Instead, he said, the government has published the Members of Parliament Salaries and Statutory Salaries gazette that includes the allowances.

Ramosetle, widely known as Thaba-Telle on social media, told thepost that the invited organisations “will soon declare that they are on board after our meeting scheduled for Thursday (today)”.

He said their march will be from Setsoto Stadium to the Moshoeshoe I Statue where they will hand over their letter of grievances to Deputy Prime Minister Nthomeng Majara.

“She (Justice Majara) is the leader of the House, this is her responsibility,” Ramosetle said.

Justice Majara is also the RFP deputy leader.

Ramosetle said Justice Majara, as leader of the House, should have seen to it that the fuel allowances are cancelled as per the RFP manifesto.

“One of our priorities while campaigning was to cut those allowances, we want it removed as soon as now,” he said.

“Most people ended up voting for the RFP after its leadership promised to cut all the unnecessary costs to prioritise job creation and other things.”

He complained that instead of cutting the positions in government, Matekane has added more.

Ramosetle said Matekane fired people in the Ministry of Tourism and Ministry of Home Affairs but hired more people in other ministries.

“They also expelled the principal secretaries in the name of reducing costs.”

He said if the party doesn’t immediately change course “the party will soon lose all its support and popularity because of bad decisions made to create opportunities for others while shutting doors for others”.

Teboho ’Molotsi, an RFP member from the Abia constituency who is also organising the protest, said they believe Matekane has been “captured” by people who are now sabotaging the RFP’s agenda.

“These people must stop surrounding our leader there, we now know he is not making decisions of his own,” Molotsi said.

’Molotsi said their gripe is that Matekane has created several positions in his office instead of reducing them.

“We will lobby and sensitise as many people as possible to hand over their letters of grievance to the Deputy Prime Minister,” ’Molotsi said.

Some people who claim to be RFP members have taken to social media to criticise the government for allegedly abandoning its election manifesto.

“We did not vote the RFP into power to do what it is doing now,” one post reads on Facebook.

“Cancel the fuel allowance or we cancel you,” another reads.
“Fulfil your promises.”

“Create jobs for all and not the selected few.”

The RFP’s spokesman, Mokhethi Shelile, said the allowances have been there since the Pakalitha Mosisili era.
“We are disappointed with our members who now speak the same language as the opposition parties,” Shelile said.

“They must stop listening to the enemy.”

Shelile said former Prime Minister Thomas Thabane had about 40 assistants while Moeketsi Majoro had 29.

“What is new here? The Prime Minister will just analyse and see how many workers he needs,” he said.

He added that the only new thing in the gazette is the 2.5 percent salary increment for the MPs.

He said the government is working hard to cancel the M5 000 allowance.

“We have not dumped our promise to cancel it.”

Nkheli Liphoto