Retrospective - LCD Wins Elections, ABC the Heart of Lesotho

I wrote the article below, on February 19th, the article was sparked by the debate I had with a NUL political science lecturer. At the time, I was not aware of the Lesotho Forum on topix.net and am still not sure whether it already existed, I was reminded of this article by a recent submission in that very same forum.

I have also noted that some who read my last entry failed to read the title, "random musings- ho thiba senqu ka matsoho", thus some missed my point that trying to censor the Internet was a futile exercise. I have also incidentally been, labelled or pigeonholed by somebody claiming to "speak OUR minds" (emphasis mine). I am supposedly an LCD sympathiser because I refuse to accept that we need to resort to being libelous in order to exercise our constitutional right to free speech. I can not accept that we have the right to hide behind anonymity in order to libel and slander. The main point I was making is that even on the Internet the rule of law still applies, and that governments and those who have been wronged have remedies that are available to them under the law. The other point was that our constitution guarantees us certain rights and that those rights are balanced against each other. Does this automatically qualify me as an LCD supporter and sympathiser? If they (LCD) had were really like that, then I would be in good company.

In my view, and I speak MY mind, I use fora such as topix.net because I want to hold the government accountable, I want to remind them that they are my servants and that they should treat me with respect and be able to explain their decisions to me, that I sometimes have the same or more information than they do. That I am no longer willing to be just a passive consumer of their services. That I will not be disenfranchised from participating in decisions that affect my future. That disagreement should not mean disrespect and confrontation. That advances in technology provide many avenues for me to not only participate, but to reach like minded people.

LCD Wins Elections, ABC the Heart of Lesotho

The incumbent LCD government has been returned by an overwhelming number of voters, however, the newly formed All Basotho Convention a.k.a. Kobo Tata has won the hearts and minds of the people.

For a four month old party, ABC’s achievements are phenomenal. ABC has:

• The most recognizable brand in Lesotho
• Raised political awareness and participation among the youth
• Managed to politicize urban dwellers (increased political awareness and participation)
• Forced snap elections
• Been the only opposition party to win an unprecedented 17 constituency seats since the restoration of democracy in 1993
• Precipitated an independent audit of the electoral process, which is different from the usual electoral “observation”.
• Won an overwhelming majority of seats in major business centres:
• Capital city all seats (8)
• Mokhotlong, Butha Buthe, Hlotse, Maputsoe, Teyateyaneng, Roma, Peka, Likhetlane, Berea
• The remaining district capitals’ contribution to the economy is relatively small

Where to?

In order to survive as party, ABC needs to consolidate its wins and manage the expectations of its followers. This can only be achieved by constant communication and public acceptance of the election outcome. The ABC will only be able to consolidate its massive political gains when its leadership accepts the outcome and prepares itself for its new role: being an effective opposition. Secondly, the issue of party structures should be addressed fairly early, the party rides on the charisma and personal mystique of its leader, it must refine its mandate and bring to the fore other credible voices within the party. Communication remains one of the party’s most important challenges; the party would do well to learn from the LCD’s blunders in this regard. ABC must appoint or nominate a professional communications practitioner that will play a strategic role in handling its communications and ensuring that its brand continues to be both respected and credible.

In preparing for its new role, the party must continue to embrace and exploit technology, and the modern management practices that have been the hallmark of its campaign. It must be an effective member of parliamentary committees, a trusted convener and a voice of the private sector, workers and civil society. The party has an obligation to push for debate and possible reform of those laws that affect the majority of its membership. Secondly, the party must engage experts, who are the core of its following, to facilitate the formulation and adoption of policy. As can be expected, the LCD will use its current mandate to entrench itself with its strong rural electorate; the ABC can only counter this by making the process of governance transparent and by educating the rural voters about the difference between government and party. If voters are informed, they will be able to make informed decisions.

Given the identified challenges; poverty, lack of opportunities and the knowledge needed to change the status quo, the ABC would do well to ensure that they address these challenges, the easiest of them being knowledge. Knowledge is a free commodity, and it, like information, should be shared freely. Once people have knowledge they will act, how they act will be informed by the guidance they have received from those they believe to be credible.