Africa-Press – Lesotho. PARLIAMENT is set to summon army boss Lieutenant General Mojalefa Letsoela to explain his statement that he won’t transfer the flag and constitution should the government change.
Rethabile Letlailana, the chairman of the parliamentary Prime Minister’s Ministries and Departments cluster, told thepost that they want Lt Gen Letsoela to explain whether he plans to take over the government.
“The committee is going to write the army summoning the commander to come and explain his statements,” Letlailana said.
Letlailana had earlier told parliament that his understanding of Lt Gen Letsoela’s statement is that he is planning a military coup. Letlailana urged Speaker Tlohang Sekhamane to investigate the true meaning of the army commander’s speech.
“He is talking as if he is more powerful than the constitution,” Letlailana said.
He said he understood Lt Gen Letsoela’s statement to mean “parliament no longer has power in the eyes of the security agencies”. “We should know if that man is now in control,” he said.
Letlailana said they “need to know whether Lesotho is still a constitutional democracy or not”. “We want to know if the army has captured the government.
” He asked if a commander can say he does not want to transfer the national flag during a constitutional change of government.
“That exercise only happens when the government changes,” he said.
“This country is not a joke, we do not have time for tomfoolery. We are running this country,” he said. Letlailana’s remarks in parliament come after Lt Gen Letsoela addressed soldiers returning from the war in Mozambique at the Makoanyane Barracks.
Lt Gen Letsoela said he was tired of handing over the national flag and the constitution to a new prime minister. Lt Gen Letsoela told soldiers that he could not manage to transfer the national flag and the constitution again.
He was referring to his symbolic but pertinent role of the army commander handing over the flag and constitution to a new prime minister. He seemed to suggest that there would be no transfer of power in the event of the incumbent prime minister loses the imminent vote of no confidence.
“I am telling you that, I cannot,” Lt Gen Letsoela said. He also said he would not “allow being made a madman by transferring the national flag and the constitution every time”.
“The flag will have to go somewhere in between,” he said. It is not clear what he meant by this.
Lt Gen Letsoela’s speech came barely a week after a joint statement by security chiefs in which they said they would not allow the government to be toppled in parliament. Leader of Opposition Mathibeli Mokhothu criticised Lt Gen Letsoela’s remarks in a series of tweets.
“The Constitution and democracy of the Kingdom of Lesotho is once again heavily under a serious attack but we will unshakably defend it in all circumstances,” Mokhothu tweeted.
Security agencies should not be used to drive political agendas, he said in another tweet. “Politicians, go prove your numbers to govern this country in parliament,” he said. The Basotho National Party (BNP) leader, Machesetsa Mofomobe, made a live video blasting the army boss for his latest statement.
Mofomobe said history is the best teacher, reminding the army commander of what happened in 1994 when a palace coup happened and a SADC troika was established led by Robert Mugabe.
“The troika was to restore the constitution in Lesotho, and that government lasted for only two weeks because of international pressure,” Mofomobe said.
“He is naive, he is lost and lacks understanding,” he said.
He added that the issue of handing over the national flag is not entrenched in the constitution, saying even in the absence of the army the government can be changed by the Speaker and the Council of State.
He also said Lesotho cannot have a successful coup like other countries because the nation is surrounded by South Africans. “Planning a coup here is just a dream,” Mofomobe said.
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