Majoro must stand firm

Prime Minister Moeketsi Majoro finds himself battling a plethora of challenges that are threatening to torpedo his four-week old government. MPs from his All Basotho Convention (ABC) party who were overlooked when Majoro appointed his Cabinet are disillusioned and are now threatening to walk away to join the Alliance of Democrats. This small yet hawkish cabal within the ABC is beginning to push back against Majoro threatening the stability of his government. The MP for Bobatsi constituency, Sello Mooki, has already defected to the AD triggering fears more MPs could walk away from the ruling party. Such a move would chirp away at the ABC’s majority in Parliament and weaken Majoro’s grip on power. But if there is any time for Majoro to stamp his authority, that time is now. He must swiftly reject the MPs’ gangster tactics. He must refuse to be arm-twisted. Of course, Majoro has over the years built a solid reputation as an astute technocrat. We have, however, not known him as a ruthless politician. He will need the ruthless streak associated with politicians if he is to survive. Basotho are now waiting to see “Majoro the politician” coming to the fore. We understand this small cabal within the ABC is disgruntled because they were not appointed Cabinet ministers. But that is a lazy excuse. Ours is a small cake and it would be preposterous for every MP to think they could be appointed a minister. It would therefore be a clear act of selfishness for the MPs to seek to hold Majoro and the coalition government to ransom over the issue of cabinet positions. But Majoro must however stand firm. As they say in English, the dogs may bark but the chariot must move on. Being the seasoned politician that he is, Majoro must have known the monumental challenges that he was going to face when he put his hand up for the country’s biggest job. Now is the time for Majoro to show his mettle and refuse to be bullied by the MPs. While he might not necessarily tell the MPs to go jump into the Mohokare River, Majoro must now begin to assert his authority. For him to do so, he must always remember that his premiership will ultimately be judged on how he deals with the bigger issue of the economy. He is coming into office at a time when the majority of our people can hardly put a decent meal on the dinner table. There is widespread hunger in both rural and urban areas. Thousands are living in abject poverty. Our economy, which was already in trouble before the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, has taken a nosedive. Thousands of our people are likely to be thrown onto the jobless heap. This will likely compound an already desperate situation for thousands of our people. These to us are the urgent issues that Majoro should be focusing on. These issues will define his two-year premiership before a crucial election in 2022. It would therefore be misplaced for any party MPs to push their own narrow, selfish agenda over why they were not appointed Cabinet ministers. This is surely not the time for Majoro and his coalition government to take their eyes off the ball by giving in to the MPs’ outrageous demands for salary increases. If he does not put his foot down, Majoro will run the risk of having the shortest stint as premier.