We need a paradigm shift

I once had an interesting conversation with a neurosurgeon about the process of operating on a human brain. In case you might be wondering what a neurosurgeon does, it is a doctor that has a specialty on operating the human brain. Some people refer to them as brain surgeons.

Google tells us that neurosurgery is the discipline that focuses on the diagnoses and treatment of disorders in the brain, spinal cord and peripheral nerves and their supporting vasculature. But I would like us to put emphasis on the disorders of the brain in this context. So, this neurosurgeon doctor I talked to painted a scenario that usually takes place when a human brain needs to be examined. The starting point is to shave the head to remove all the hair so that it does not fall into the head and contaminate the brain.

After cutting the hair, a small hand-held grinder with a small metal blade is used to slice through the skull. Now, most people know a grinder as a machine that is used to slice or cut large pieces of metal, bricks or tiles but yes, the human skull is sliced using the small grinder. After the skull is sliced through with the helpful use of the hand-held grinder, the upper part of the skull is removed to expose the human brain. There after a large cylindrical light named a surgical light is used to provide maximum illumination onto the human brain.

I think Lesotho needs to invest in this grinder so that we open heads of certain individuals in this country. Lesotho also needs to invest in the largest surgical light to provide light to examine what could possibly be a default on some of the brains in this poor country.

Tell me, how do you budget M22 billion and celebrate a tax revenue collection of M6.3 billion? This is way below the fifty percent mark of what is needed to finance the budget estimate of M22 billion that was announced by Lesotho’s finance minister. For the benefit of the readers that may not be aware of what I’m talking about, the Lesotho Revenue Authority (LRA) recently celebrated a tax revenue collection of M6.3 Billion. M6.3 Billion! Now, Let us all remember that the budget estimate is M22 Billion. What are we celebrating here? A fail disguised as a target?

If you did economics and finance at school, you will know that the budget estimate tabled by a finance minister is funded by means of tax revenue collection. Unless otherwise! There is no way a government can operate without means of tax revenue collection. It is like trying to travel from Maseru to Cape Town with petrol worth 100 Maloti and hope to make it. It’s just not possible.

Unless there is some sort of magic that a finance minister can use to finance a budget but I never understand how the Lesotho government explains this modern-day phenomenon. Maybe it’s time that people from the Ministry of Finance explain how this budgeting system works. They are more than free to pen something in thepost.

Talking about writing, it is also an opportune time for MPs to start writing opinion pieces to explain their thought process. Obviously, there’s so much that the public seems not to understand pertaining to the salary adjustments. I understand that my good friend Chalane Phori and Mr Mafojane are prolific writers. Maybe it’s time they pen opinion pieces for thepost so that we hear their side of the story on petrol allowances.

Going to the business of the day, due to popular demand, I would like to follow-up on the piece I wrote last week but I want to touch more on a problem we mostly have in this country named a paradigm. What is a paradigm you may ask? The Oxford dictionary tells us that a Paradigm is a typical example or pattern of something; a pattern or model. This could easily be explained by a typical example I’ve witnessed about people from my home village. So these people from my village all think alike because most of them go to the same church.

They were indoctrinated/programmed by the same church and went to the same school that is owned by the same church. They work for a factory owned by the same church. They basically operate like robots and I will explain why and how next week and please remind me.

However, in this context, the problem with a paradigm we have is that grains such as maize, provide food security and will take us out of poverty. Secondly, agriculture means that we have to plant meroho (vegetables) such as cabbage, tomatoes, spinach and potatoes in Semonkong. The biggest hogwash that I’ve ever heard is that the wool and mohair industry is very lucrative. Lucrative to whom? At what cost? At what cost meaning what about the damage to the environment due to overgrazing. But, no, actually, the biggest misconception I’ve ever heard is that Lesotho has the best diamonds in the world and the Government of Lesotho is being swindled out of deal signed with Lets’eng Diamonds.

This reminds me of Tweet that Deputy Prime Minister Mokhuthu once posted on Twitter and Jeerrr! people nearly swallowed him alive. DPM Mokhuthu was nearly eaten alive by Twitterers concerning a tweet he made regarding the stake that the government of Lesotho holds at Letšeng Diamonds. Now, what our people don’t understand is that, diamond mining is very capital intensive. An investor needs budget loads of money to unearth high-quality diamonds. It takes machinery, diesel, skilled labor, electricity and so much more to un-earth one diamond.

But we have a low hanging fruit that could easily be the biggest industry in Lesotho, even bigger that the diamond industry and this is the fruit-tree industry. Funny enough, I heard a very interesting interview on Kaya FM regarding the Citrus industry. The citrus industry is made up of a basket of fruits namely, oranges, lemons, grape-fruits and soft-peel fruits such as naarties. The South African citrus industry is the largest citrus exporter in the southern hemisphere with exports amounting to 158.7 million cartons.

158.7 million cartons! If one carton costs $20, quickly make a calculation of how much the 158.7 million cartons generate. According to their website; www.producereport.com, the citrus growers association represents 1400 citrus growers through-out South Africa, eSwatini and Zimbabwe. I don’t see a reason why Lesotho cannot make it onto the list. Here is my point, for us to win we need to focus on our strengths. Basotho farmers can gain way more if they could invest in the citrus industry for the winter harvest and peaches for the summer harvest. Basotho could basically harvest twice, in one year.

We just need to focus and pool our efforts on two lines of fruits. The problem is that our efforts are so scattered and disjointed and some of famers our are produce apples, some maize, some potatoes and some beetroot. We are confused but we need to speak the same language and pool our resources in one direction. I am still convinced if we can plan 1 million trees of oranges and one million trees of peaches, we can easily generate annual revenue of 5 Billion Maloti.

Lebeko Sello sent me a message and even suggested that we throw some olives into the mix. Let’s say, one million olive trees across the country. The advantage with olive trees is that they need low maintenance and very resistant to droughts but here we go. We have a solution to our unemployment crisis. Just like that! So, when are we starting?

‘Mako Bohloa