Water For Justice

Need for quality leadership with moral consciousness

BY MZIMKHULU SITHETHO

MASERU – The rustling, power jostling, rifts and many other anomalies that have beset Lesotho’s political landscape are all attributable to lack of political leadership exhibiting moral consciousness to rise above petty political shenanigans.

The country’s polity is embroiled in cheap monkeyshines and tomfoolery that every time there are party squabbles, they culminate into splinter groups. That is a ‘political game’ they say – so much that that it has even been branded ‘politics is a dirty game’.

The last week’s political drama that saw the resignation of the political stalwart, Lehlohonolo Tšehlana who defected from the only two-year old All Basotho Convention (ABC) and whose political future is unpredictable bears testimony to the foregoing.

Tšehlana’s departure from the embryonic ABC, though not surprising, is reminiscent of the polity of Lesotho that has shown that there is still a long way to go by the political leadership.

Cracks in the party emanate from personality vendettas between members of the party who fail to embrace each other when difference of opinion erupts, which is normal anyway.

Tšehlana’s long story of his thorny stay in the party, punctuated by attacks and insults leveled against him can be summed up as epitomizing a power struggle that had started to eat out the new party on its early days of formation.

ABC had hooked scores of Basotho in hues and droves, who had pledged their utmost support for the party and had pinned their last hopes that it was an alternative to failing congress parties that had not brought any meaningful change in a period of 14 years since democracy dawned the country.

Even those who had developed political and voter apathy had been stirred in the right direction of participating in active politics and the election of a government of their choice.

However, ABC shot itself on the foot when it allowed personality vendettas to overshadow reality that Basotho had to graduate from politics of persons but to politics of issues which is a sign of political maturity by any standards.

The party’s interim leadership instead swelled and gathered pride at the expense of its members.

Those who had sat on a pedestal and got the political sensation from the periphery had awaited a Messiah (ABC) to salvage them from the scourge of hunger, famine and abject poverty had their hopes shuttered and shuttered forever. The ‘Messiah’ has now gone to the dogs.

The first fallout that brought the party into an abyss has been misinterpretation of the concept of ‘interim executive committee’ that unfortunately sat for longer than expected, defeating the meaning of the word. And guess what, abuse of power crippled the party by ‘irrelevant people’.

Furthermore, the party misinterpreted the actual role of powerful opposition as meaning destabilizing the government with protests against everything.

While it is part of democracy for dissenting voices to show their discontent in all sorts of ways as long as they are devoid of violence, it should not have been the only thing that vibrant opposition does.

The interim executive got trapped in protests, stay-aways and other forms of discrediting the Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD) government after the poll until now that the party is celebrating two years, the only achievement is an array of such protests.

Such avenues that are used to exert pressure on government should be used sparingly so that their impact and efficacy is felt.

The lost time could have been beneficially used by ABC to mobilize its people to form branch and constituency committees.

These structures would have built strong trouble-shooting mechanisms to fend off internal dissenting voices with a code of conduct that put members under control, while deepening the party ideology to its followers so that the party has identity.

The structures would help determine a speedy process for holding of an Annual General Meeting (AGM) and this would have lessoned rifts as the political environment then was still fresh.

Then the fragile ABC would have now gained strength from the branches and constituencies that are the bone marrow of every political party.

Everywhere in the world, the stamina of a party comes from branch and constituency committees which form the basis of people involvement in party affairs.

But ABC’s interim leadership became complacent with minimal victory and the buoyancy of Maseru vote, ignoring the bigger role of luring grassroots people where all parties face LCD’s challenge.

LCD’s unshakeable stronghold is at the grassroots where people feel the pinch of hunger, famine and abject poverty.

With time, this stronghold would be seized if ABC had been ‘serious’ about its business as LCD is doing literally nothing for those people to reckon with.

The ‘interim leadership’ focused on flexing its muscles on stay-away after stay-away as a way of exerting pressure on the ruling party to deliver ‘on their demands’.

This was a result of visionless leadership lacking the moral authority to lead a political establishment to focus on a national agenda for the benefit of the people.

While the expectations were high from all those who had watched with utter amazement as the new party surpass the old mogul, LCD it gradually degenerated into a party just like other parties that broke away from LCD.

ABC is heading towards an AGM under a court order with disillusioned, disenchanted and disgruntled members. The morale of those who had dearly cherished the perceived ideology of a new party after elections has declined and this might mark the beginning of a trouble as the aftermath of AGMs, especially those that elect leadership are fraught with divisions.

Poor leadership that lacks the moral consciousness to rise up to the challenges of running an establishment comprised of people with diverse needs and expectations fell short of guns to sustain the charm offensive of those who were instrumental in its formation.

Those who have been instrumental in many respects in advancing the course of ABC’s perceived success in politics feel they have been used, betrayed and taken for a ride.

Some had used their family property such as vehicles, money and other personal belongings to advance the course of building a party for the people, only to realize they were being brainwashed that the party represented the needs of a collective while it was for just a clique. They are now regretting their benevolence.

But if the running of the party’s affairs had been couched on cardinal principles of collective leadership, characterized by embracement of divergent views of a heterogeneous political party like ABC I t would have breathed life into the party.

But with favouritism, friendship and many other vices that tear down well-established organizations, the party fell on its own sword and failed to amass needed support from those who were standing on the sidelines.

However, ABC is not the only party is in a predicament of poor leadership. LCD is caught up at dagger’s point with malfeasance that may prompt another split, rendering the party to a position where a snap election had to be called.

This party is bedeviled by a bad history of breaking away when elections approach; due to power jostling that eat out the party until it splits.

It is only two years since elections that were caused by a breakaway by ABC, but the ruling party has once again drifted to doldrums that threaten to tear it apart.

This time it will be three years before elections according to the Independent Electoral Comissi0n (IEC)’s election timetable.

LCD’s historical splitting ahead of elections is attributed to absence of a clear succession plan in the party that renders those harbouring leadership ambitions to feel disenfranchised by having a leader not willing to pass on the baton to others.

The one who is leading a party feels he has been enthroned by the late Dr Ntsu Mokhehle and since then, succession to the throne has been based on ‘a cult of personality’.

All other party cadres have to look upon that person as a ‘Jesus’ for the party.

The school of thought about grooming succeeding leadership from among party members has been vehemently dismissed by proponents of the congress movement with the notion that no one has powers in whatsoever to abrogate who will succeed him, but that the followers of the party do.

It is based on the notion that people come to serve in the movement and that those elected to leadership are deployees of the electorate.

They have to fulfill a mandate of the people and avoid working for their own self-aggrandizement but for a collective good.

Open canvassing for being elected into positions of power is condemned in the strongest terms possible in the congress movement.

Yes, in theory it might hold true, but in practice, it breeds bitterness among cadres who feel they have been ripped of their freedom to exhibit their leverage to lure people to elect them and that they have needed credentials to lead the party.

The only alternative as has been experienced since 1997 is to fight inside, drum up support from party members until they have enough following to form their own thing.

Those who dare show their zealousness to lead the party are often labeled dissidents who want to ‘topple’ the leader of the party.

It therefore creates an unparalleled impression that power in the congress movement is concentrated in one person, a ‘cult of personality’ who is adored by those who follow ‘him’ not the party. Followers have to pay allegiance to that person.

Those who have emerged as leaders from the periphery after defecting to form their own things are those who felt disenfranchised by the system that does not allow open canvassing and contestation for party leadership. Though cherished, this is can be termed ‘closed democracy’.

The current LCD leader was handpicked and rose to power after the late leader had fallen sick and became powerless and died, otherwise, he would have had to be patient.

LCD’s fallout is also attributed to lack of quality leadership that has the moral authority to rise above petty party politics. Incessant internal squabbles emanate from the closed system of electing leadership. It is time to inject participatory democracy.