Is this pay-back time?

IT would appear that Prime Minister Moeketsi Majoro is hell-bent on making bad decisions and carrying on the legacy of his leader Thomas Thabane. What is ironic is that Majoro was at the centre of the decision to oust Thabane citing the bad decisions he made when he was still in charge. One of Thabane’s biggest blunders was his decision to appoint Phello Ralenkoane as Director General of the National Security Services (NSS). Thabane’s government collapsed yet Ralenkoane claims he warned Thabane to accept the new All Basotho Convention (ABC) committee or risk party and government collapse. Isn’t it ironic that those who ousted Thabane are reappointing Ralenkoane today? Could it be it is pay-back time for having deceived Thabane? When government collapses, naturally the intelligence boss also goes with that administration. For me it’s odd that Ralenkoane had his contract renewed instead! Lesotho is not blessed with the kind of leaders who pursue that which is right, noble, excellent and legal. It is astounding that Majoro broke the law by appointing a political activist to the helm of the NSS. Section 25 (1) of the NSS Act of 1998 clearly prohibits the appointment of political activists. Ralenkoane represented the Basotho National Party (BNP) in Kolo constituency during the 2017 national elections. In my opinion, his appointment is therefore against the law, unethical, unfair and ungodly. I wonder if Lenkoane can be entrusted with our country’s secrets or they will be used to benefit his political party, the BNP. Moreover, in Lesotho it is not an anomaly for politicians to partake in seedy deals, just like the Thesele Maseribane and the Aaron Banks saga that was exposed by international media. In a case like this who would Ralenkoane feel more entitled to? The Basotho nation or his party leader? I mean this person showed an inclination so deep to the BNP that he contested an election under its flag. A modern “spy” needs to be a person of great resolve, totally divorced from party politics, one who is only loyal to the constitution and most importantly a well-read individual. I find it offensive that the Prime Minister chose to appoint someone who is unashamedly political to this position. Ralenkoane’s appointment also weakens our already fragile institutions. Instead of working to depoliticise our security agencies, our Prime Minister impinged any and all efforts to build strong and apolitical institutions by employing someone whose political allegiance is questionable. The surge of Covid-19 cases in Lesotho is raising questions about what exactly happened behind the scenes. Did our security agencies effectively warn the government about the storm that was coming or they slept on the job? Did they warn the incoming administration about the nefarious intentions of corrupt elements who hatched a plan to frustrate the NACOSEC? It is no secret that there was an effort by elements in the ABC to sabotage NACOSEC and Thabo Khasipe because he was no candidate to serve their agenda. This was common knowledge in the corridors of Maseru. Did our security agencies catch wind of these plans and if they did, what did they do to pre-empt such plans? Their failure to handle issues correctly has cost us dearly as a country. Khasipe had a plan of action to counter the second wave of Covid-19 infections and when he was pushed out, the fight against the virus came to a standstill. We are basically now on our knees. Our security agencies should have picked and duly advised the Prime Minister that officials at the Ministry of Health were hell-bent on frustrating the Prime Minister and his cabinet and that those actions would ultimately put the lives of Basotho in danger. Ralenkoane also stands accused of forcing a number of good spies out of the NSS through his iron fist. He also refused to reinstate NSS officials who had been unduly dismissed. The question is: are there any elements within the government that are pulling the Prime Minister in the wrong direction? I would like to argue that Thabane still lives within the ABC. He still wields a lot of influence within the ABC party and government. This is a failure of the current government as this coalition was aimed at purging Thabane and his tendencies to make bad decisions out of our public administration. Majoro should be careful that he does not act just like former Prime Minister Leabua Jonathan who politicised security state institutions by appointing loyal members of his party, the Basotho National Party, to key government positions. Ramahooana matlosa