. . . a misplaced bare-knuckle fight to have unsubstantiated allegations of corruption gain traction
Thabo Maketekete Sekonyela
AS we wind-up another land-marking, monumental year in the fragile political history of this kingdom, we notice a conscious, well- choreographed, uninterrupted, now monotonous chant of CORRUPTION! CORRUPTION! reverberating noisomely, and non-challantly in every conceivable newspaper column-inch of space, save one reserved for advertising!
That the opposition block suffered almost irreversibly in the 2022 national elections is undeniable. That they are yet to recover from the unexpected setback inflicted by a then few months old political toddler in the name of the Revolution for Prosperity Party-RFP, is a constant source for national humiliation!
Since the beginning of the year and earlier, we have witnessed heaps and heaps of stories on corruption filling up reading space with suffocating yet unsubstantiated regularity!
To that extend, headlines such as “opposition leaders unite against Matekane, corruption has worsened under Matekane, M50m needed for Ha Belo electrification, Royal Palace project covering a greater part of the first part of the year to the more recent “uncircumcised leadership, Tycoon ties haunt Matekane”, up to the midterm report card which listed most ministers performing below par, a sinister scoff at the government’s 70,000 attempt at youth job creation, headlined “more likely a joke than a realistic plan”.
Add these to the long-awaited, unapplauded removal of Lesotho from the regional perpetually whimpering boys (Ho tlosa naha melomong ea SADC)!
The plethora of accusations and counter accusations have their centrality in the well-hatched and well-rehearsed cacophony of distortions, half-truths and a constant penchant for the jocular and bare-knuckle fighting whose pinnacle hinges on action without substantiation!
Before even bothering to clarify some of the hastily-hatched points raised in by the opposition block in this relentless cacophonous assault on this government, it is prudent to remind ourselves of the consistent yet unheralded message from the Prime Minister that “I cannot work with thieves, just bring the proof and see whether they will not be locked up!”
To this “call to arms against corruption “, opposition willingness to enlist as “warriors Against corruption” has been lamentably found wanting! What are we to deduce from this charade of unfounded claims and freshly cooked lies and distortions paraded in spite of the utterances by the Prime Minister?
Let us fast-forward this scenario to the year-ending 2025 similarly and predictably echoing these unrestricted annual outpouring of raw, unsolicited and undocumented bare accusations in eye-catching headlines such as these ones:
Lesotho Tibune – “How Lesotho’s government illegally extended Letšeng Mining Lease, betraying its own citizens”; Lesotho Times – “Shelile in M12M LNDC scam”, “ M6M incompatible LEC meters”, “ Minister embroiled in M100 million tender storm”, “M44 million project haunts GVT”, “ M800 Belo structure unsafe”, “ Lesotho loses M6 billion compact”, “ Parly stalls M184M airport project”, “ 625 health workers lose jobs”, “Top cop in M32 million fraud”, “1800 Kao jobs at risk”,” Ha Belo project costs double”, “M10M fertilizer storm”, “LEC officer resigns at gunpoint ”;
Sunday Express – “M950M project under threat”, “Loti brick shuts down”.
It is clear that the intensity of accusations has tripled but the factual deficit has not been similarly splashed!
For starters, we remain convinced that for an opposition block that is desperately seeking political relevance while also facing the dire consequences of a looming massive voter rejection at the polls, come 2027, emanating from a perennially self-induced political brinkmanship, it is indeed a daunting task!
The chorus must stop and the remaining years of this government be productively used to rededicate our collectively efforts on national renewal and development.
