RFP courts smaller parties

MASERU – THE Revolution for Prosperity (RFP) is set to consolidate its grip on power after courting two smaller parties into its coalition.

The RFP has signed an agreement to form a government with the Movement for Economic Change (MEC) which has four seats and the Alliance of Democrats (AD) which has five.

The MEC and the AD are expected to get a ministerial position each for the support.

But thepost has been told that the RFP is still out to get additional smaller parties to insulate its incoming government from collapse that might be triggered by floor-crossing.

Teboho Mojapela’s Socialist Revolutionaries (SR) has agreed to join the coalition with its two seats.

So has the Machabana Lemphane-Letsie’s HOPE which has one seat.

HOPE’s deputy leader, Rets’elisitsoe Lesane, confirmed that the party will join the coalition and was quick to point out that they have not requested anything in return.

“We joined to help stabilise the coalition government and we do not have any expectations,” Lesane said.

Thabo Shao, the SR spokesperson, also confirmed that the party is joining the RFP-led coalition.

“We agreed to join, but the official announcement is yet to be made to the media,” Shao said.

SR and HOPE will take the coalition’s numbers in parliament to 68.

thepost however understands the RFP is also still courting other parties that want to join the coalition but are not demanding anything in return.

There was also speculation last night that some smaller parties have also made informal overtures to join the coalition.

Sources say there could also be MPs who are ready to cross the floor to the RFP when parliament opens.

thepost has been told that the RFP wants more numbers because it still mistrusts the intentions of nearly a dozen of its MPs who had to sue the party to be its candidates. These are part of the 21 candidates who the party had deemed unfit to represent the party despite winning their primaries.

They were rejected after the party held interviews as part of the selection process.

The party is said to be still sceptical of some of those rebels who won.

Some of these MPs are said to be still sore about the way the party treated them.

The RFP believes they could be easy pickings for other parties that might want to destabilise the coalition in parliament.

More MPs on its side would protect the RFP from its own coalition partners.

They would also give the party leverage in negotiations with its coalition partners.

The coalition could however easily protect itself by passing the reforms which will restrict MPs’ floor crossing to a 15-day window period declared by the Speaker after three years.

Staff Reporter