I had penned something different for this week but the excitement in the air prompted me to write something in response to an announcement of yet another political party.
Some have already named it, ‘Request For Proposals’ while others have simply named it, ‘party ea masanta’ (Party of the Saint Anne) due to the colour purple that is synonymous with Saint Anne Catholic groups.
But all in all, what Ntate Matekane has managed to do is to revive hope. Lost hope. The damage and disappointment that the ABC has done to the minds of the electorate is unimaginable. I am one of the many people that had vowed not to vote in the coming elections.
I was done with these dirty politicians. But Ntate Matekane has sprinkled water and brought life on the dead sense of hope we all had.
Yes, Ntate Mahao was there but his party (BAP) doesn’t quite hit the spot. Ha e re khaqa hantle.
Publishing of an income and expenditure statement in local newspapers would help the public to spot/identify and question possible corrupt activities and irregularities. It would also help the government to protect itself by playing open cards by putting everything on the table
I still fail to understand what it offers or hopes to achieve. Its message is very wishy-washy. It even re-introduced people that we would have loved to see in the political dustbin.
I mean, it’s like washing a white shirt with dirty water and hope to see a clean outcome. No, it doesn’t work like that. Let me just say, the BAP failed to impress me. But hey, there’s new excitement in the air!
I received calls from people that had vowed not to vote in the coming elections but are now so excited on the prospect of voting for Revolution For Prosperity (Quite a tongue twister. I hope I got it right). E rarianya leleme.
In fact, talking about the name, why not name the new political party, Moruo Development Movement? MDM? It sounds catchy and quite familiar.
Imagine someone saying, “ke lo voutela MDM?” (I am going to vote for MDM). Those who have a sarcastic sense of humour could as well name it Matekane Development Movement (MDM). Food for thought!
In any case, there’s renewed hope in the air. But there are a few ‘ifs’ and ‘buts’ here and there. I talked to a wide range of people on Tuesday. Some of them were very disappointed to see the likes of Sekhamane, Dr Matlanyane and former Chief Justice, ‘M’e Nthomeng Majara.
I concur. When I heard of news that Ntate Matekane was launching a new political party, I got so excited. I said, at long last.
I waited for the much-anticipated press conference that was held at Mpilo Boutique Hotel at 10am on Tuesday, 22nd March 2022. I wasn’t there in person but listened on Harvest FM online. However, when Matekane announced his counterparts, I said Eish! But why?
You know, I was one of the people who pressured Herman Mashaba to form a political party after resigning from the Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Republic of South Africa.
When he finally established Action SA, he went on to appoint Dr Makhosi Khoza in the executive of the political party. I said to him, “hela, u etsa joang? U etsa joang?” (What are you doing). Look at the chaos he’s in now.
There are certain people that cannot be relied upon. No matter what! Hoba semelo sa bona ke likhatso.
I believe that Matekane missed a golden opportunity to introduce new blood in the political arena. I mean, what our country needs is a fresh perspective. A new way of thinking. Matekane could have introduced fresh faces we know nothing about.
Why am I saying this? I will make reference to two very simple examples that you’ll be able to relate to.
When Sir Alex Ferguson was given a difficult task to steer the ship at Manchester United in 1986, he started off by introducing new blood into the team. He recruited young boys from the development team.
That’s where unknown names such as Alan Tonge and Viv Anderson mushroomed. The team performed dismally at first. The young players were still trying to find their footing and rhythm.
However, through careful grooming and mentorship, the young players gained confidence and started winning games.
That is where other young people such as David Beckham, Wayne Rooney and Christiano Ronaldo were introduced and developed a super team. This is what Matekane needs to do. Play a role of a coach or even an army commander.
When soldiers go to war, what happens? Young soldiers are deployed on the front line. Do you know the reason why? Because young people are very brave and daring. They are very submissive and very loyal to leadership.
This was the case when Chief Leabua Jonathan got into power on 7th July 1965. What did he do? He deployed very young people on the frontline. E mecha mechini. Names that people had never heard of. And the formula worked like magic.
That’s where names such as Retšelisitsoe Evaristus Sekhonyana, Mothusi Mashologu (wink-wink) and Tom Thabane sprung up.
You see, Ntate Leabua understood how to play the game. I understand that he was not only a coach but also a mentor. But he knew that he needed foot soldiers to do the unimaginable work of developing Lesotho, post independence and they did.
Those young people were very brave. They introduced and established institutions such as the Lesotho Bank, Lesotho Flour Mills, the Central Bank of Lesotho, Hilton Hotel, Victoria Hotel, The brewery (MMB). I mean the list is endless. No old and tired person could have achieved that.
I am still waiting for anyone that will ever surpass the legacy of Ntate Evaristus Retšelisitsoe Sekhonyana. No, no, no, I don’t say this because I’m a member of the BNP. I’m not, contrary to popular belief.
But truth be told, only Sam Matekane has a chance to put a dent on that record, if only he fields deserving young people, in the right positions (meritocracy).
There’s a joke that used to make rounds in political circles. It said Ntate Leabua was not only a coach but used to order the young ministers around like an army commander. O na ba tiger in our street (slang) language. And they would listen to orders. He even admired Ntate Tom for his hard work and used to say, “Hee Congress lena laka le’a peka” (This young fellow is dedicated).
When Hilton Hotel was built, history tells us that Ntate Leabua said, “Hee monna Retšelisitsoe, e ea Amerika u ilo batla hotele. (Retšelisitsoe go to America and look for a hotel). Guess what happened?
A 36-year-old Minister of Finance flew to Hilton Headquarters in the US and pitched an idea of a five-star hotel in the middle of Apartheid in South Africa. Way before Google. It got a thumbs-up!
This is what Matekane has to do. Remove all these people with baggage in front of our eyes. We want fresh blood. Haai! Ba tlo re bora re ne re thabile. (They are going to kill our mood when we were so excited). Get young, fresh soldiers to do the groundwork.
In fact, the hardest work is going to be the groundwork (spade work) the constituencies. Will the elite group that Matekane is marching with do the dirty spade-work in constituencies, in the rural areas? Mosebetsi oa Oros ka lofo ka maoto. I doubt it! Hee mosebetsi oa mabatooa o boima. (A very cheap yet expensive and hard job. I doubt it).
And Matekane needs to learn from history and look at the formation of Marema-tlou Freedom Party. Sometimes, when a party is deemed to be an elite club, the rural electorate will shun it. There has to be a very fine and delicate balance. E se ke ea hlaha e le party ea barui. (It should not be portrayed as a party for the rich).
In conclusion, what has happened here is that Matekane has bought a brand-new car, fresh from the showroom. Ebile e ntse e nkha b
sl* ma makhooa (still reek of the dealership perfume). But this car is running on old tyres. Tsa litamati, tse hlahileng literata. Will it get to the finish-line? Only time will tell.
Otherwise, well-done Ntate Sam! Well-done!