Africa-Press – Lesotho. PRIME Minister Sam Matekane is set to expand his cabinet to accommodate his new coalition partners as he tries to fend off the opposition’s attempts to topple him.
Matekane this week roped in the Basotho Action Party (BAP) into the coalition government, a move that caught the opposition by surprise as it significantly weakened their bid to remove the premier through a no-confidence vote.
But the BAP’s support comes at a hefty price. The BAP will get two ministerial positions for joining the government. The Revolution for Prosperity (RFP) had initially offered the BAP one ministry, one deputy minister and two ambassadorial posts. One post was to be available in January and the other in April.
BAP leader Professor Nqosa Mahao told his national executive committee they felt that while the diplomatic post would give opportunities to the party’s cadres it would not mean much to the members because most of them don’t understand the role of ambassadors.
He said that is why they settled for two cabinet positions. Those posts are likely to go to Mahao and his deputy Maqelepo. The parties are yet to discuss which ministries will be allocated to the BAP but some unconfirmed reports indicate that the Ministries of Water and Sports have been suggested.
The Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD) which has previously been content with being a silent partner in the coalition could also get a cabinet position after the recent threats to the government strengthened its hand.
There was also speculation that Matekane would reward three RFP MPs with cabinet positions to manage the dynamics in his party. An academic and two women are said to be in the running for those cabinet positions.
The Movement for Economic Change (MEC) is also said to be trying to get a deputy minister’s position as a reward for its loyalty to the government. Its leader Selibe Mochoboroane is the Minister of Health with his deputy Tšepang Tšita-Mosena as Deputy Speaker.
These changes could increase the ministries from 15 to around 22, something that goes against the RFP’s promise to keep the cabinet lean and keep the lid on costs.
There could also be some new positions for deputy ministers. The RFP is however trying to shift cabinet chairs instead of adding them. Several RFP officials told thepost this week that the focus now is to accommodate the new coalition partners without upsetting their MPs and balloon costs.
Mahao also mentioned the RFP’s concern about the size of the cabinet and costs when he pleaded with his executive committee to accept what the party was offered.
“They said the government is problematically financed, and they also told us that they do not want to inflate the cabinet size more than this,” Mahao is heard saying in a voice clip recorded at the committee’s meeting.
“We plead with you to endorse those decisions, even though they have not yet given us the names of the ministries they are giving us.
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