Africa-Press – Lesotho. TWO local lawyers have pleaded with parliament to draft a law that would ensure that all those who suffered harm or death after receiving the Covid-19 vaccine will be compensated.
Advocates Fusi Sehapi and R Jane also want such a law to order the reinstatement of workers who lost their jobs after they refused to be vaccinated against Covid-19.
Through their law firm, Goldman Mustard Litigation Group, the lawyers told parliament that they represent the Christian Advocates and Ambassadors Association in a constitutional case against the Ministry of Health.
They want a law that will direct the government to subsidise the necessities of life for the protection of health and life. “Otherwise we shall have no alternative, but to launch a public interest litigation to ward off the ever throbbing high cost of living for the ordinary man,” the lawyers said.
They wrote that the governments of the world had intentionally or negligently deceived their citizens by assuring them that Covid-19 vaccines were effective and safe for health and life.
“They further forced all their citizens to involuntarily take Covid-19 jabs in the name of public safety and public health,” the letter, sent to the National Assembly and the Senate yesterday said.
They added that in response to their Supreme Court judgements nullifying Covid-19 regulations, the responsible governments of the world like the United States had proposed bills which will solidify into laws that compensate those who suffered harm or death as a result of forced Covid-19 vaccines.
“They also proposed bills for reinstatement or compensation for those who were illegally expelled from work for refusal to accept unwanted Covid-19 vaccination,” the letter reads.
The lawyers said the Covid-19 regulations discriminately gave those who cannot vaccinate on medical grounds a superior treatment to those who cannot vaccinate on religious and philosophical rights access to shops, public places, schools, workplaces and other places.
“The government of Lesotho had violated its constitutional duty endowed in section 118 (3) of the constitution, namely to accord the courts the necessary support and assistance to protect their independence, dignity and effectiveness in the judicial operations,” the letter reads.
They said the government of Lesotho “is guilty of dereliction of its constitutional duty by rendering this all-important court judgement a brutum fulmen (an ineffectual legal judgment) via doing nothing to undo its mess declared by the court”.
The lawyers said it is their legal and logical expectation that the government must regularise its disarray resulting directly from its blind implementation of Covid-19 mandates.
“As a result, we humbly demand parliament and the senate to promulgate laws on the compensation of the victims of Covid-19 and their reinstatement to their respective workplaces.
They also said the parliament must take notice of the unpleasant effects of the Ukraine war on the people’s daily costs of living, supply chain disruptions, unprecedented high levels of crimes, high-interest rates and inflation.
“We noted with dismay that these man-made crises have identifiable beneficiaries.
The lawyers said the research by financial data provider, Definite for the Guardian, London’s four banks have paid out bonuses totalling more than 4 billion Euros in 2022.
“Food and agribusinesses monopolies reportedly raised their collective wealth by 42 percent in the last two years.
They added that according to the international energy agency the net income for the world’s oil and natural gas producers has doubled in 2022 from 2021 to a new height of US$84 trillion (about M1 549.8 trillion).
They said the three successful pharmaceutical companies, Pfizer, BioNtech and Mordena made a pre-tax profit of US$34 billion (about M627.3 trillion) in 2021.
“All these companies have subsidiaries in Lesotho or do business with the government of Lesotho,” the letter reads.
They urged the government to use taxation to subsidise the economy by significantly reducing VAT and sales tax, to adjust tax brackets upwards for income tax to relieve low-income earners.
“Countries like Portugal levy 33 percent tax on excess profit on energy and food firms that made big profits by raising prices, UK taxes excess profits of energy firms,” they said.
They pleaded with the government to subsidize the necessities of life for the protection of health and life. “Otherwise we shall have no alternative, but to launch a public interest litigation to ward off the ever throbbing high cost of living for ordinary men.”
For More News And Analysis About Lesotho Follow Africa-Press
