Loss of identity, infighting and failure to rebuild and rebrand itself has left the party extremely vulnerable, say analysts
Bongiwe Zihlangu
The Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD)’s prospects in next February’s general election are bleak due to the party’s loss of identity, infighting and failure to rebuild and rebrand itself, analysts say.
According to analysts who spoke to the Lesotho Times this week, the chain of misfortune plaguing the LCD is indicative of a party which—instead of rebuilding and rebranding itself after the crippling 2012 split that saw the birth of former Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili’s main opposition Democratic Congress (DC)—shifted its focus on state issues “at the expense of the party”.
They add by sharing public platforms with the DC since June this year, and entering into an agreement to form a coalition with the party after announcing it was pulling out of its coalition agreement with Prime Minister Thomas Thabane’s All Basotho Convention (ABC) and the Basotho National Party (BNP), the LCD had put its identity at stake because “it appears as though the LCD and DC are now a single entity”.
Another contributing factor to its woes, the analysts add, is the intra-party conflict currently playing itself out in public, particularly in the case of suspended secretary general Keketso Rantšo, who openly attacked her party’s leadership during Sunday’s rally in Taung constituency.
Ms Rantšo and seven other LCD members are set to appear before the party’s disciplinary committee for alleged misconduct and bringing the party’s name into disrepute.
Political analyst and Programmes Director at the Transformation Resource Centre, (TRC) Tsikoane Peshoane, told the Lesotho Times that by becoming close to the DC when relations with the BNP and ABC turned sour, the LCD had only given the main opposition “room to exploit these differences”.
“The DC’s main intention was to capitalise on the broken relationship and exploit the existing differences to its advantage,” Mr Peshoane said.
“Now it appears as though the LCD and DC are on the same side of the coin, which works in the DC’s favour.”
Because the DC had already consolidated itself and occupied the mainstream of the congress movement, Mr Peshoane says, its “closeness” with the LCD “is actually diminishing the party”.
“The closeness shared by the DC and the LCD, is actually diminishing the LCD, especially because as the bigger party, the DC has already claimed its position in the political sphere,” Mr Peshoane says.
“Even these other smaller congress parties are actually leaning on the DC because it has claimed the mainstream of congress politics, an indication that on their own, they are not strong enough”.
On the question of Rantšo’s attack of the party leadership, Mr Peshoane says although her behaviour, considering her position in both the party and government is indicative of serious intra-party conflict “the problems of the LCD should not be solely focused around her”.
If anything, Mr Peshoane says, what the LCD is facing are problems emanating from the party’s failure to “rebuild and rebrand” itself, in the form of reviving its crippled structures.
“The first thing the LCD should have done, was to thoroughly rebuild its structures while at the same time, sticking to its rebranding strategy,” Mr Peshoane says.
“But much focus was placed on government activities instead of party-specific programmes; and there was no proper mechanism to reconcile the membership, hence the party’s efforts never translated into a tangible legacy.”
He adds: “The fact that the person occupying the office of secretary general, is also in government, greatly compromised the party as there has been no engagement with the membership.”
The fact that the LCD does not have both the youth and women’s committees at national level, Mr Peshoane says, has also led to members seeking new political homes by defecting to other parties “because there are no sufficient platforms from which to seek recourse”.
“This leads to disgruntled members seeking new political homes, which seems to be the case where LCD members now seem to be supporting other parties, such as the ABC and DC, because their own political home does not provide the platforms they need.
“These are issues that the LCD needs to address fast, although in the case of the national youth and women’s committees, electing them now means they will only serve as tools to act as engines to support the LCD during elections, instead of strengthening the party.”
However, Mr Peshoane also cautions that the LCD should not be written off completely because of the party’s access to state resources “which can help boost its election campaign”.
“Much as the LCD is faced with challenges, the fact that it has access to state resources, can help the party run a robust election campaign,” Mr Peshoane says.
But, he adds, when the campaigning, the LCD should do all it can to prove that “it’s a separate entity from the DC”.
“The LCD should strive to give its own messages that will help it retain its identity and prove beyond doubt, that it’s a totally separate entity from the DC, that it’s an alternative government,” Mr Peshoane says.
Meanwhile, Tlohang Letsie, a political science lecturer in the Department of Political and Administrative Studies at the National University of Lesotho (NUL), asserts that “the LCD is going to be the biggest loser in this coming election”.
“From the way I see things, going into the election, the LCD is going to be the biggest loser of all and chances are, a part of the LCD is likely to be swallowed by the DC,” Mr Letsie says.
Mr Letsie adds the fact that there is already talk that if the LCD holds an elective conference, the membership would try to oust party leader and Deputy Prime Minister Mothetjoa Metsing, who would “likely try to seek refuge in the DC”.
“Because the DC has used the LCD in so many ways, if the LCD membership ousts Metsing, he will seek refuge in the DC,” Mr Letsie says.
On Mrs. Rantšo’s attack of the LCD leadership, Mr Letsie maintains this is “indicative of an imminent split”.
“Between Keke’s faction and Metsing’s, one will have to squeeze the other out of the party, and the one that leaves will need to seek refuge elsewhere,” Mr Letsie says.
