
’Marafaele Mohloboli
ALL Basotho Convention (ABC) leader says stamping out corruption in the Lesotho Mounted Police Service (LMPS) would rank highly among his priorities if voted into power in the 3 June 2017 elections.
Addressing taxi operators during a meeting held in Maseru on Thursday, Dr Thabane said his government would have a zero-tolerance approach to corruption, adding that he would not hesitate to dismiss anyone found guilty.
Basotho go to the polls on 3 June 2017 after Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili’s seven-party coalition government was toppled in a parliamentary no-confidence vote engineered by a four party opposition coalition on 1 March 2017.
“Vote out the current government and see me send corrupt police officers packing,” said Dr Thabane.
The taxi operators had convened the meeting to spell out their expectations from political parties ahead of the polls.
They pointed out that spot fines were supposed to be M30 according to the law, but police regulations had pegged them at M180.
Dr Thabane promised to quickly address the issue if elected into power, saying: “It’s quite irregular for the regulations to be above the laws, that’s duplicitous.”
The former premier said he would continue with his anti-corruption crusade where he left off after his tripartite government collapsed in 2014.
“You all know that before my government was toppled, I took over the police ministry and changed its management, which was also expelled,” Dr Thabane said.
“So, it’s up to you to vote me into power so that I can put into place the right people for the benefit of our people and respect of good governance.”
He said corruption was the root cause of underdevelopment hence the need to stamp it out.
“There is nothing as dangerous as a corrupt police officer; nothing kills a country like a corrupt police officer. They are entrusted with preventing the very same corruption. How then are we supposed to live when we are being served by corrupt police officers?”
Dr Thabane also urged the taxi operators to be law abiding and to instill that mentality in their drivers.