A big yawn

A new set of constitutional amendments that will soon be debated in parliament will likely have far reaching implications for the political stability of Lesotho.

The Bill will seek to clip the Prime Minister’s powers to make certain appointments that have been for years at the centre of Lesotho’s political crises.

For instance, the Prime Minister will not be able to appoint the Lesotho Defence Force commander and heads of other security agencies.

Instead such appointments will now be made by a National Security Commission.

The Commission shall, among other things, “recommend to the Prime Minister the appointment and retirement of the heads and deputy heads of the National Security Services”.

That makes us think back to the tragic events of 2014-15 when the then Prime Minister Thomas Thabane fired the army commander, triggering a crisis that eventually saw Lt Gen Maaparankoe Mahao assassinated.

In that sense, the new Bill will seek to reset Lesotho on a path of peace and prosperity. Instability within the security agencies has long been identified as one of the causes of Lesotho’s political problems.

Any government that is elected after the October elections must see to it that the amendments are implemented in full to ensure lasting stability.

However, given the recent history of elections in Lesotho, we foresee yet another coalition government in place after the October elections.

That takes into consideration the entry of new players such as Sam Matekane and his Revolution for Prosperity (RFP) party. Matekane has already said he prefers to win the elections outright.
He is not likely to have his way though.

While he will likely shake the urban base, Matekane will face a formidable fight in rural areas where the Democratic Congress (DC) party, which has been the darling of the rural masses for two decades, still holds sway.

This week, we would like to talk about the content of the political campaigns that we have seen so far. The packaging of the messages has been a huge disappointment.

It has been one big yawn.Could that be due to the fact that the political parties have nothing much to offer beyond stale promises of more jobs in the textile sector?

So far, we do not know what most of these political parties, both old and new, stand for.

All that voters want is to understand how the political parties will transform their lives.

After watching and listening to the campaigns, we would like to believe the voters are no wiser.

The political leadership appears to be speaking over their heads. There is basically nothing for the young voter who is looking for a better Lesotho.

What the youths are looking for are not trinkets distributed at rallies. They are looking for opportunities so that they can have their own viable business. They want a government that supports youths so that they get into business.

It is important to highlight that the result of the October elections will likely be determined by the youth vote. That makes it imperative for political parties to speak to the youths and address their needs.

At the same time, the youths must make their demands clear. The days of attending rallies as cheer-leaders are long gone. They must hold political leaders accountable. They must be vigilant.

The youths must demand that the government creates an enabling environment for them to start small businesses. They must enter into lucrative sectors such as agriculture, mining and tourism.

If the older generation has nothing to offer anymore, they must move out to allow younger leadership to lead the transformation agenda.