By Mahao Mahao
On the first Sunday of February, I was winding down the weekend at a certain joint in Khubetsoana when a certain young man kept repeating a comment that wound me up a bit.
I and the other patrons were having our Sunday afternoon drinks and, in another section of the venue, people from Qacha’s Nek were holding a meeting which later on I learnt was meant to forge closer ties among themselves.
When the meeting ended, a young man from this group joined us and soon an argument ensued. He was wearing a Democratic Congress (DC) T-shirt and frantically lectured the gathering that the current Lesotho government is led by Nationalists.
I then decided to join the already heated debate – the teacher in me burning to provide a little lecture on the matter. However, the fellow was unshakeable in his stance that Lesotho is led by Nationalists. Though I did not agree with his obviously flawed view, I first queried him on what was wrong with a government led by Nationalists and, if that was the case, what the fuss was about.
He mumbled something about the Left and the Right, saying everywhere in the world politics leaned either to the Left or Right. I asked what the Left or Right, especially in our context, referred to and his face went blank.
I further asked him if he understood anything about a Congress or Nationalist ideology, and if there was even any here to speak of. Once again he had no idea but remained adamant that Lesotho is under a Nationalist government. I made him aware of the obvious fact that the Basotho National Party is number three in the pecking order among the coalition partners, and whether to him that signalled a Nationalist regime.
I am not aware if either Prime Minister Thomas Thabane or his deputy, Mothetjoa Metsing, have Nationalist backgrounds. But, even if that were the case, the question remains; so what?
Somebody then asked him which Congress is more original and genuine seeing that the Congress movement has, over the years, disintegrated into numerous fragments.
Once more he mumbled something unintelligible and meaningless. He had clearly bitten off more than he could chew. I thought of recommending to him my colleagues in political science to further unpack some of these issues and enlighten him so that he can become a knowledgeable citizen.
Was he interested in the socio-economic advancement of Lesotho or whether its leadership is Nationalist or Congress? I wanted to know.
He told me the two go together but failed to explain exactly what he meant. At this point, I was forced to pose a question I never intended to ask: how old he was. He said he was 35 and added that he had a COSC which he “proudly” obtained from Hareeng High School in Qacha’Nek.
I then made him aware he was the youngest among the debaters but was sadly speaking like a geriatric who most often is set in his ways.
The sad part for me was that he displayed disturbing signs of a brainwashed individual, possibly by the leadership of his beloved DC which, since the outcome of the 2012 elections has never stopped ranting about Nationalists having been allowed back into government. Interestingly, the man even challenged me to a televised debate on the issue!
The matter of this fellow’s COSC education should not blur the real issues in that even if one gets only as far as Standard 4 or 7, they should never be considered inherently inferior or incompetent since in many cases how far a person progresses in their studies is out of their hands as several factors beyond their control may stifle their advancement.
We were finally able to tell the young man that following a political leader’s utterances hook, line and sinker deprives him of the discerning backbone he needs to make an informed judgement, and that he should avoid chanting and ululating anything his leaders say.
No disrespect, but if our leaders do not speak sense, we should be in a position to take note of that. Our pleas clearly went on deaf ears, as he was hell-bent on defending the absurd, a posture which does nothing to advance political unity in this country.
It is a view that smacks of bitterness and the desire to promote divisive politics as opposed to getting the economy and service delivery going. Mind you, this country has – over the years – seen its fair share of politically-motivated violence and bloodshed.
Not that I expect political opponents to regularly have coffee together, but their utterances should be directed more at our needs, not our differences.
In my view, those leaders who perpetually sentimentalise the great divide between National and Congress are still living in the Stone Age of politics and are increasingly becoming obsolete, especially when the current political climate has seen such a remarkable evolution.
They could well be advised to secure the services of top political advisers to help them stay relevant to the demands of this age.
No doubt some of our people have endured the business end of the tumultuous history between the Congress and the National divide in our country.
However, constantly harping on the old and, by now, stale tune of differences between Congress and National has become puerile.
It is a tune that continues to be strung by those who seem to have run out of ideas and are only keen to witness the seeds of division germinate further. Many people now have their sights firmly set on developmental policies that can take Lesotho to a new level; whether they are proposed and implemented by Congress or National is immaterial.
Only the gullible will continue to gobble up the divisive rhetoric on political groupings even though such meaningless talk will never put bread on the table, educate the nation or address the current scourge of unemployment.
A colleague later said to me it should not be a surprise to come across such characters since a coalition that involves National and Congress is still a “culture shock” for many Basotho, especially those on the senior side of the ageing process.
The current coalition, despite its hiccups, has rendered outdated the view that National and Congress can never be bedfellows. And with just months to go before the second anniversary of the coalition, we hoped the massive hangover of disappointment would have long healed among some sectors of the population.
I wish the young man could be part of my lectures. Not because I want to brainwash him or re-direct his political outlook. That would be wrong.
He and I would debate the real issues of this nation and extricate ourselves from the sentimental politics of National and Congress; the so-called ideology that would never put bread on his table or give him a job and a decent education. He would learn how to keep governments accountable through his vote which gives him so much power. He would learn to appreciate when politicians do a good job and deserve a pat on the shoulder.
But at the same time, he would learn to say no when corruption, nepotism and non-delivery threaten the democracy he voted for. He would learn how to punish non-performers through that vote. He would learn that he is free to support the party of his choice; a right availed to him by his country’s Constitution but that failure to point at the mistakes of his party or government would not be a display of affection but disservice as they would collapse right under his watch.
He would be complicit in their downfall for heaping praise even when it is not deserved and allowing some of his leaders to steal with impunity and develop complacency and arrogance in the process.
These are the type of citizens we need to mould and not the believe-all type who follow without asking where the road is leading.
The poor chap probably realised he was outnumbered almost one to 10 in this warped political thinking and soon he slipped off quietly from the venue.
We certainly had no intention to sour his Sunday afternoon drink and we hope he shows up again at the joint so we can continue our interesting discussion. He is, after all, a free citizen and should be at liberty to enjoy a drink wherever and whenever he wishes.
Before he quietly slipped out, I had told him I was going to share our encounter and discussion with the entire nation through the Lesotho Times.
He told me he was also a writer and would publish his own piece.
I have started buying every available local newspaper hoping to get his opinion in print. Mine could be a long wait, but I can be very patient.
Mahao Mahao is a lecturer in the Faculty of Education at the National University of Lesotho
