Africa-Press – Lesotho. The youth led march against the M5 000 fuel allowances for the members of parliament failed to see the light of the day as some of the organisers were
arrested while in preparation to stage a march. Before Friday, they had on August 10th penned a letter to the Prime Minister (PM) Dr Moeketsi Majoro requesting for the
permission to march to parliament and hand their memorandum of demand/s to the Speaker of the National Assembly, urging him to reverse controversial regulations which operationalise the fuel allowances.
The letter however was not replied to by the PM on August 15th, which is the date by which they had given him. Meanwhile, the disgruntled youth had resolved that if he
did not reply “we would take his silence as consent”. Kananelo Boloetse – journalist cum activist, Motsamai Mokotjo – former journalist and Resetselemang
Jane were on Friday arrested and kept in custody for about five hours at Maseru Central Charge Office without a charge. Lesotho Mounted Police Service
(LMPS) Spokesperson Senior Superintendent Mpiti Mopeli said the youth activists
were detained because they had contravened the Meetings and Proceedings Act. In their statement issued on Friday the trio said: “We are unshaken and condemn in the strongest
terms this kind of behaviour by our elected representatives which points clearly to one thing; that our parliament has declined and become a clique of
privileged few, totally out of touch with the plight of the ordinary citizens. ” In efforts to rally more support there is an online petition calling on for signatures under
#M5000ForMPsMustFall. At the time of going to press, the petition had attracted 70 signatures. “That money should be
used to fund targeted initiatives needed to support vulnerable Basotho,” reads the petition in pertinent part. The march was expected to start at Sefikeng sa Moshoeshoe I to the National Assembly atop Mpilo hill.
Despite the government’s responsive measures to the COVID-19 pandemic contained in the Risk Determination Framework Mitigation document barring the marches and protests,
the “concerned” protesters had promised to observe the preventive health measures during their demonstrations. “We also wish to emphasize that our fundamental human rights as citizens are guaranteed by the Constitution:
these rights include freedom of expression, freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of association,” they charged. Earlier in March, the leader of the house and also the Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) announced that the
MPs will receive the allowances, a move which sparked the furore amongst the members of the public. The August House debated and adopted the report of the portfolio on the Prime Minister’s Ministries and Departments,
Governance, Foreign Relations and Information Cluster on The Members of Parliament salaries (Amendment of schedule) Regulations 2020. The MPs and Senators
with exception of the cabinet members received the tax free M5 000 monthly petrol allowance backdated from April last year. For his part, the Leader of the House and the Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Hon.
Mathibeli Mokhothu said the executive has executed this following the request by the MPs. Then, Mokhothu said unlike in other professions, the MPs do not have a security of tenure arguing
that whatever social crises emerge, considerable pressure is exerted on them to address it. The DPM said even when the roads are destroyed, the MPs are the first to be asked about their state.
The MPs privileges and allowances include; constituency allowances which is a tax-free M400.00 per month in lowlands and M600.00 in the highlands. There is also
M2 000.00 per month for the member elected as a Chief Whip and M1 500. 00 for the deputy Chief Whip. The member who is elected as Whip and who is an opposition whip is eligible for M1 300. 00.
The Chairperson of the Chairpersons for the parliamentary committee qualifies for M2 000.00 per month while the Chairpersons of the committees receive monthly M1 500.00.
The MPs and the member of Senate qualify for a fully furnished rent free government house and maintained surroundings or tax –free monthly housing allowance of
M3 000.00. They also enjoy the monthly tax-free electricity, telephone and water allowance to the tune of M2 000.00. The lawmakers are have a monthly tax-free expense allowance to the tune of M1 000.00 and the
M150.00 sitting allowance. The annual salary of the MPs for the Lower House amounts to M451 752.00 and the Senators earn M431 604.00. The “concerned” youth march
had attracted solidarity from Basotho in Diaspora who issued the statement on August 16 denouncing the tax free fuel petrol allowances for the MPs. Coming down on the fuel
allowances Basotho in Diaspora said: “We are enormously incensed by legislator’s by the government’s decision to give MPs M5 000 tax free petrol allowances (sic).
This is ludicrous, especially in the time when businesses are shutting down, workers losing their jobs due to the coronavirus pandemic and public sector are having to deal with no pay increase.
“In other countries, Members of Parliaments’ salaries have been reduced to meet the exigencies arising out
of the Coronavirus pandemic but our esteemed legislators decided that this is the right time to arrogate to themselves the ownership of the nation’s hard-earned funds.”
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