Democratic Congress (DC) leader and official leader of opposition, Mathibeli Mokhothu, is hopeful that the main opposition party has what it takes to wrestle power from the ruling coalition, especially after catching at least 260 new members during a rally at the weekend. Speaking on Sunday at the rally held at Korokoro constituency 18 days after his election as the new leader following retirement of his predecessor, former prime minister Pakalitha Mosisili, Mokhothu introduced DC as a renewed party that will embrace new technology to communicate.
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Feb. 21, 2019
NKOATE THAMAE
3 min read
Mokhothu hopes for DC return to power
DC Leader Mathibeli Mokhothu
He introduced the party’s official twitter account: @democraticCond11, the Facebook account: DemocraticCongressOfficial and the website: www.dc.org.ls. Through these social platforms, he said, DC would be able to disseminate relevant information about party activities and news in the public domain. In addition to the social platforms, Mokhothu said the party would publish a digital newspaper – Thebe – whose print version would also be published once a month to articulate DC’s vision, policies and activities.
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According to Mokhothu DC is big enough to make it easy for itself to reclaim all constituencies it used to win if members can work hard to recruit new members and work towards the unity of the party and get rid of divisions. Mokhothu blamed the current 4x4 coalition government for “torture and brutal killing of suspects in police custody. Police role is to protect peoples’ lives and properties nit to kill people like ants. It cannot be that we have 43 people who died in the hands of police ever since this coalition government took power. We have already reported this carnage to the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the rest of the world.”
Referring to what he called interference of the government in judicial system, Mokhothu said: “When you make a trap for someone, it might catch you first. Ke eo kobo joale e tabohela ka makhotleng kajeno (Blanket (ABC) is now splitting in the courts). They engaged in an unfair practice of promotions and dismissal of judges of the high court.” He cited the dismissal of Appeal Court judge and suspension of Chief Justice as examples of interference of government for political interests.
“This coalition government failed the nation. They have increased tax (VAT) from14% to 15% while they no longer subsidise food. DC administration had introduced subsidy on staple food especially when Basotho are faced with dry season and low food production,” he said. Narrating what he called some follies of the present coalition government, Mokhothu accused it of failing to address teachers’ genuine grievances, mismanagement of farmers’ wool and mohair products as well as a tendency of nepotism in government employment based on ruling parties political affiliations.
Moeketsi Shale, the DC youth leader, urged youth to promote their party policies on the social media instead of concentrating on petty things which have nothing to do with party growth. The DC announced that the party was preparing to host a farewell party for its founder and retiring leader, Dr Pakalitha Mosisili in his home town of Qacha’s Nek on March 16 this year.
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