IN response to “Unreliable DJ Waters at it again” (Lesotho Times February 27), I always enjoy reading Scrutator’s thought-provoking articles but I think she is waging an unnecessary love war against “DJ Waters”, Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD) leader, Deputy Prime Minister, Mothetjoa Metsing.
Dear sister, beauty is in the eyes of the beholder and I would like to warn you against making a hasty judgment on the character of the person you have fallen in love with only because you think he has capitulated or slipped and consequently earning your wrath.
Austrian dramatist and novelist, Arthur Schnitzler, once wrote, “One can positively never be decieved if one mistrusts everything in the world, even one’s own skepticism”, and further wrote that, “It is easy to write memoirs when one has a poor memory”.
Ausi, you have correctly and rightfully alluded to the truth that Metsing’s people swore by the LCD constitution and always criticised Monyane Moleleki’s camp (before the party split in 2012) for waging a war that was not based on principle, in violation of the party’s constitution.
You maybe forgot to mention that the LCD constitution talks about “collective leadership” and not an individual leader’s sentiment and you may have deliberately “forgotten” to mention that “DJ Waters’” predecessor, former Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili failed the LCD by not subscribing to the collective leadership notion as enshrined in the party’s constitution.
Well, I will not go into the details but you will surely remember the march by a section of disgruntled LCD members to the State House and subsequent betrayal of the LCD membership by DJ Waters’ predecessor.
Maybe I misunderstood your analogy on reliability but being honest, frank and candid can never be commensurate with being unpredictable, fickle, capricious and unreliable.
Ausi Oee, to openly concede defeat and subsequently heed the advice of fellow leaders to retract a statement pending final announcement by the relevant authorities cannot be defined as being untrustworthy.
Ngoaneso, it is said: “To err gracefully is better than to guess the ugly truth.”
Remember that in politics, leaders find unforeseen difficulties, technical minefields and, above all, vested interests that want the solution to be buried with the problem.
In his autobiography, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair says, “Don’t forget communication is 50 percent of the battle in information age, say it once, say it twice and keep saying it, and when you’ve finished, you’ll know you’ve still not said it enough.”
Bravo DJ Waters for openly conceding defeat.
Metsing Fan
Maseru
