Fierce debate over PR lists

(MENAFN- The Post) MASERU – THERE was fierce debate at the National Reforms Authority (NRA) indaba yesterday as politicians haggled over the interpretation of who should qualify for Proportional Representation (PR) seats in parliament.
A resolution of the Plenary II which was passed after consultation of stakeholders including ordinary villagers at public gatherings had shown that people wanted to choose their own PR candidates.

The people minced no words telling politicians that they do not want the leadership of their political parties to decide who should be on the PR lists which are submitted to the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC).
The people said PR candidates should be elected on the basis of the performance of individuals competing in the general election where a candidate who garnered most votes after the constituency winner will be automatically eligible for a seat in parliament.
This goes against the norm where leaders or national executive committees of the parties decide on behalf of the people on who should go to parliament under the PR arrangement.

Yesterday politicians representing various political parties in the NRA said the people meant that“the performance referred here is by the party not an individual”.
Rose Lenea, leader of the Lesotho Workers Party (LWP), said it would be unfair to side-line people who“worked hard for the party ensuring that it has means to run its daily affairs for someone whose resources were destined to his constituency alone”.
Lenea said in most cases the overall activities of the party are on the shoulders of its leader and a few willing individuals“and such ones should not be pushed to the periphery when the time to select PR candidates comes”.

“It is the party, through its leadership, that will select who goes to parliament under the PR system and not the IEC,” Lenea said.
The LWP suffered a blow in 2007 when its 10 PR seats were occupied by the All Basotho Convention (ABC) in an alliance that the Speaker Sephiri Motanyane said was unlawful.
It was the party's decision through its leadership to choose who would occupy the seats irrespective of who could have garnered more votes in the constituencies.

Paul Masiu, leader of the Baena Party, which has never had a seat in parliament, also argued that“leaders and individuals of goodwill work hard for the party to cover its daily costs”.
He argued that the IEC should not be allowed to dictate on who within the party should go to parliament through the PR lists because“we do not have equal contribution in the party”.
The majority of politicians in the NRA agreed with this, some shouting to say the phrase“according to performance” actually refers to“the performance of the party or an individual with the support of the party”.
If what Plenary II was to be followed, the leader's powers to choose themselves and their cronies to parliament would be curtailed.

In the 2001 election the LWP leader, Macaefa Billy, got a parliamentary seat with less than 250 votes from his Matelile constituency but his deputy 'Matšepo Lehlokoana who had garnered over 1 000 votes had no seat in the august House.
The party had only one seat in parliament.
This is happening in all parties in the country.
For example, the Basotho National Party (BNP) has five seats in the House occupied by members who each got less than 2 000 votes in their constituencies.
The party last week lost Jacob Vuyisile from Sebapala constituency who contributed eight percent of the votes to the party's 23 000 during the 2017 polls.
Vuyisile has since defected to the Alliance of Democrats (AD).

Staff Reporter

MENAFN05102021000229011070ID1102921345