Can you believe it? Grown men and women – whom we have the pleasure of calling members of parliament – spent a whole afternoon last week debating about Tlali Kamoli’s release from jail?
This was after the seemingly dis-honourable MP (by virtue of a back door PR seat) of something called the Basotho Covenant Movement (BCM), Reverend Tṧepo Lipholo, asked Justice minister, Ntate Richard Ramoeletsi, to explain why the brutal jailbird, Tlali Kamoli, was not being released from prison. One would expect an MP elected into parliament to make laws to understand at least a little about how a democracy works.
Outspoken Lithoteng constituency legislator, Rethabile Letlailana, who has defected from the RFP to the DC, has complained about the defective calibre of people that Basotho love sending to parliament as their MPs. Ntate Letlailana has a very valid point.
How does Ntate Lipholo expect Ntate Ramoeletsi to get his hero Kamoli out of jail? Has Lipholo ever heard anything called the separation of powers doctrine? Does he know the roles and responsibilities of the three arms of state? Has he ever heard of anything called the legislature of which is supposed to be a member? Does he understand its functions? Has he ever heard of something called the executive or the judiciary? If not, why not?
Dr Lipholo filed an urgent question asking Ntate Ramoeletsi, to explain why Kamoli and his coterie of fellow criminals remain in detention without bail and “what the government had done to ensure they got released”?
How does anyone explain such anthropological foolishness?
The fact that Ntate Ramoeletsi and ‘Me Nthomeng Majara, had to spend a good part of the afternoon explaining to Ntate Lipholo what he ought to know – that the government cannot direct the courts to grant Kamoli bail – would have been laughable if it were not so tragic.
It underscores Ntate Letlailana’s contention that we are sending dunderheads and ignoramuses to parliament?
Which then raises inevitable questions about why Ntate Lipholo prefixes his name with the title Doctor (Dr). What type of a doctor is he? He surely cannot be an academic or medical doctor. Is he a witch doctor? Assuming he is indeed an academic doctor, where did he earn his doctorate from? Is it from Chingyomiyamuyomi University from the steppes of Siberia and Pyongyang? This “university” is known to award doctorates to mice? Is it an honorary doctorate? If so, was it awarded from the same “college” in Gqeberha that even awarded Lady Dee with her own. I think the media owe this nation a duty to probe the source of this doctorate? Ntate Lipholo must also be forced to explain what Basotho Covenant Movement means? Is it a cult (to borrow from Ntate Letlailana)? And who exactly voted for the BCM? Can they be found and charged with treason?
No Ntate Lipholo. If you really don’t know that the government has no business in directing the courts to give bail to your murderous friend Kamoli? If you don’t know anything about the separation of powers doctrine? If you really don’t know that the only way you can help your friend is by joining his many applications for bail as a friend of court and explain to court why he should be granted bail? If you really have the gravitas to file such a moronic question in parliament and then waster Ntate Ramoeletsi and ‘Me Majara’s time inducting you on basics of separation of powers doctrine, then this nation is in really trouble. You have no business being in parliament Ntate. Scrutator has often wondered why Basotho have never experienced a single day in which their parliament has discussed good economic policies to make Lesotho another Singapore? Now I know. As Ntate Letlailana has rightly argued, we are sending ignoramuses to parliament.
But it’s not only “DR” Lipholo who needs to be examined by a special psychiatrist or brain surgeon from Mars (an ordinary one won’t do), we also have our brothers and sisters in something called the Meat Traders Association. How on this earth do people who sell meat think they have a right to constitute themselves into an association in the first place? What national interest needs to be protected in selling meat? Why does selling Thlakoana (boiled feet of lamb) require an association?
Apparently, these meat traders have gone to court to ask for an order forcing Prime Minister Ntate Matekane’s government to enforce the demented regulations ejecting foreigners from selling meat and other goodies. Again, what rank madness?
Readers of this column will know just how crazy I believe the Business Licensing and Registration Regulations which seek to eject foreigners from nearly 50 business sectors are?
But apparently the meat traders believe that once the foreigners are ejected, cows will immediately rain from outer space and descend on their yards and wash them with rivers of milk? They will immediately be rich overnight with an abattoir established at the shack of every thlakoana trader? This is all pretty awful and incomprehensible of course? But it makes sense to ‘Me Maliemiso Rasunyane who has signed an affidavit on behalf of her fellow meat travellers. What type of meat does ‘Me Rasunyane sell anyway? Does it include maotoana (chicken feet)? If so, why does she not explain why she and her ancestors failed to get rich from maotoana before the first foreigner arrived in Lesotho?
Does ‘Me Rasunyane really understand and appreciate the consequences of banning Econo Foods and Sefalana in Lesotho. We are not talking of spaza operations here, these are gigantic retailers with reputations that go beyond Lesotho’s borders. Does M’e Rasunyane know that Econo Foods and Sefalana can literally destroy Lesotho’s already frail reputation as an investment destination if their foreign owners are banned? In any case why did M’e Rasunyane only mention Econo Foods, Sefalane, Big 2 Supermarket, and Browns Cash and Carry in her affidavit? Why didn’t she mention Pick n Pay, Shoprite and Clicks, among her victims? Doesn’t she know they are all foreign conglomerates that must also be banned? Who does ‘Me Rasunyane think she is fooling?
Has she also ever heard of something called Enrich Stores? Doesn’t she know that humungous amounts of money were squandered at this retail chain and it was led straight into the ground by its Basotho owners? Doesn’t she know that Enrich failed even with a generous donation from the government via the LNDC? Doesn’t she know that the story of Enrich is what happens when you try to foist entrepreneurship down the throats of Basotho who were not made for it?
Where will Basotho shop, if the foreign owners of Econo Foods, Sefalana and others are banned and their businesses are put on the Enrich path by the Basotho who will take them over? Why is M’e Rasunyane being so heartless? Where in this world has the prosperity of indigenous people been fostered through the banning of foreigners? Does ‘Me Rasunyane want Basotho to end up recycling condoms as in Zimbabwe where such equally inane regulations where once passed before being abolished?
Will ‘Me Rasunyane be able to employ in her maotoana “business” all the thousands of Basotho who will be rendered jobless by these regulations?
Anyway, it’s a good thing that she and her fellow maotoana traders have brought this application to court. No judge will grant the crazy order they are seeking for? Hopefully that will put the matter to rest. Let the court action can just bring an end to this madness and let the foreigners thrive and create more jobs for Basotho? Doesn’t ‘Me Rasunyane know that to the contrary, more foreigners are needed to create jobs in Lesotho? Doesn’t she know that Ntate Ramaili at the LNDC is always out asking foreigners to bring their money to Lesotho? Why is she not calling for the banning of the LNDC? Why is ‘Me Rasunyane not thinking? Does she and her coterie in the maotoana association need to be examined by a psychiatrist from Mars, just like Ntate Lipholo. The answer is a big YES? And why does Ntate Lipholo want Kamoli released from jail. Doesn’t he know that is the place where his murderous friend belongs? Doesn’t he know that ntate Maparankoe’s children were left fatherless? And how can anyone be a Reverend and Doctor at the same time? Who does Ntate Lipholo, just like ‘Me Rasunyane, think he is fooling? What is the name of his “church”? Is it also called Basotho Covenant Movement? How many members does it have and why? What magic does Ntate Lipholo use to get anyone to attend his church? Media, you owe this nation answers?
Ache!!!
