Maseru, April 03 –Former Alliance of Democrats (AD) Deputy Chairperson Mr. Kose Makoa says he no longer attended the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting because he feared for his life.
He was responding to former AD Leader Dr Monyane Moleleki’s remarks where he indicated that some of the party’s NEC members showed fatigue and no longer attended meetings during his opening speech held at Leqele High School over the weekend.
Mr. Makoa told the Agency on Monday that due to his friction with some NEC members he no longer felt safe, hence his failure to attend the NEC’s meetings.
“I did not feel safe anymore after challenging the party’s decision at the Appeal’s court and won,” he commented.
However, he still considered himself an AD member until further notice, saying he will make up his mind after being paid money owed to him after going to the appeal’s court.
Mr. Makoa said AD owes him close to M60 000 as the appeal’s court costs he incurred during the hearing process even though this amount excludes other logistical expenses.
When asked if there was any stipulated time the Appeals court gave for the money to be paid, he said there was no time given but he is engaging his lawyers to handle the payment process.
Dr. Moleleki had told the delegates at the elective conference that Mr. Makoa was among the trio who no longer attended the NEC’s meetings.
He said according to the AD constitution any NEC member who fails to attend meetings for three consecutive sittings is considered to have expelled himself.
Another AD NEC member who was also reported to have failed to attend sittings, Mr Tsukutlane Au said the party Leader knows why he no longer attended the sittings.
“I told Ntate Moleleki that having been elected the Deputy President of Senate, I will no longer be active in politics to show respect to those Principal Chiefs who are not politicians but elected me to lead them,” he explained.
Furthermore, he said the second reason was that AD NEC’s sittings clash with the Senate sittings on Wednesdays and if he had to choose over the two, he chose to attend Senate sittings which he considered as of national importance.
When asked why he could not resign officially from being an NEC member, he said there was no use of resigning since the committee’s term had expired, saying it would not make any sense.
Mr Au who got the Senate position by virtue of being an AD member which has partnered with the ruling Revolution for Prosperity (RFP) to form a coalition government, said he declined offers from AD members who wanted to nominate him for certain positions within the party for the same reasons.
However, he said as an elector in this country he will still exercise his democratic right of voting, explaining that if AD continues to serve the people and put the interest of Basotho first he would vote for the party.
Another NEC member who was also said to no longer attend the NEC sittings was Mr Kotiti Diholo who could not be reached on his mobile phone.
Dr Moleleki lost the party’s Leadership elections to his deputy Professor Ntoi Rapapa who is now the new party leader after getting a sound victory from the AD delegates.
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