Lesotho minister forms rival party

Mr Thabane, this is a good move, you were the only strongest in the cabinet. Viva!!!

Motsoahae Thomas Thabane is the greatest opportunist
within the Lesotho political landscape

what a great move Mr Thabane, may be we are going to wealth. VIVA!!!!

The move by Mr Thabane will strengthen democracy and development in Lesotho. The party led by Mr Mosisili had become power drunk, oblivious to the needs of its poverty-stricken and AIDS-afflicted population, due to its overwhelming parliamentary majority which allowed it to effectively run the country as a one-party state. Recently, in a further move to entrench the big-man syndrome so characteristic of post-independence Africa and which has made Africa the laughing stock of the world, the Lesotho Congress for Democracy party elite changed the constitution of the party in order to subvert it to control by a tiny powerful minority, thus collapsing the interests of these powerful individuals, with the interests of the party and the state into one. In September, Lesotho newspapers were awash with stories of how this elite were helping themselves to a fleet of Mercedes Benz luxury vehicles acquired at taxpayers (or rather donor?) expense and which were now being given away to cabinet ministers and high ranking civil servants at ridiculously low prices, in a move designed to loot whatever crumbs are remaining from Lesotho's tiny fiscus before the next general election in six month's time. At the same time, in a move that entrenches dictatorship in the tiny mountain kingdom, a small group of party members who had begun to challenge the growing corruption and totalitarian tendencies within the party, were subjected to a court trial on fabricated charges of insulting Prime Minister Mosisili and some of his cabinet, including the current foreign minister Mr Monyane Moleleki. This tactic is popular in African dictatorships who are challenged for power, and has been used effectively in the continet to strangle opposition and throw its leadership in jail. Mr Moleleki, by the way, has surprised the world and turned Lesotho into a true banana republic by allegedly "being shot" under mysterious circumstances, yet having no one charged or arrested for the alleged crime. It is believed in some circles that this was part of a conspiracy to discredit disgruntled party members and possibly having fabricated charges of attempted murder filed against them, when the wounds sustained by Mr Moleleki are alleged to be something other than gun shot wounds, to put mildly. Such dirty tricks are not new to the power drunk members of the ruling regime. It will be remembered that the same strategy of discrediting opponents or gagging debate was used by Mr Mosisili a few years ago to close down an independent newspaper critical of his corrupt and incompetent administartion by bankrupting the newspaper and throwing it out of business through a defamation law suit. The endemic corruption within the party, the threat to media freedom and democracy that the party represents, the dismal failure of the LCD on the delivery front, the lack of development, the greed of its leaders ... all these things have turned what was once a liberation movement and the respected party of Mr Ntsu Mokhehle into a monster intent on impoverishing the peace loving people of the mountain kingdom, condemning them forever to wiles of poverty, degradation and disease. Viewed in this context, the formation of the newly formed All Basotho Convention (ABC) party and led by the most effective and most experienced (former) minister to challenge the prevailing abuse of power and corruption is the best news for Lesotho right now.Mr Ntsu Mokhehle and those who fought so hard for the independence of Lesotho must be rejoicing at this turn of events. Let us hope, that Mr Mosisili and his power hungry cabinet will not react to this democratic and peaceful challenge to their power by using repression, and further plunging not only Lesotho but Africa into deeper darkness. It is very sad that the allure of power and his succumbing to greed and corruption has turned Mr Mosisili and his party into the biggest threat to democracy, stability and progress in this landlocked country.

Ramokoatsi wrote:

Motsoahae Thomas Thabane is the greatest opportunist
within the Lesotho political landscape

Ramokoatsi, what do you mean by the bland and unsubstantiated statement that Mr Thabane is 'the greatest opportunist within the Lesotho political landscape'? What is opportunist about challenging a dictator?

Whether or not Thabane will be the right candidate for the next election is not of very much importance. the only thing that will make things better in the political stuggle is the fact there will be enough solid opposition regardless of who is on throne(Mosisili or Thabane). that will in turn anable for a health parliament that will be able to discuss country issues in depth not the party future. But I would be very happy to see Mosisili go down because in about 10years of ruling he has done nothing significant to set for the rescue of the country from the poverty AIDS.

Yes I admit Mr. Thabane is the strongest in the cabinet but he's also the greatest opportunist of them all. He's planned this move since day because he is hungry for power. He's not leaving because there's no implementation in our country, he's leaving because he always wanted to be the prime minister of Lesotho. I hope people can see through him, that man is not to be trusted at all

motsoahae Thabane is greatest opportunist of all he's been in the governmrnt fro about 20 years the guy is rich whats more is he looking for. He must give others a space

i honestly don't believe Mr.Thabane is an opportunist as Mr. Ramokoatsi says. I believe He is a man who deserves my vote. Every ministry that he has served under has produced results and i believe if he can stick to what He says Lesotho will have a better future. Mr. Pakalitha's government does not reward pple who have spent hard times pursuing education but it honors political affiliation. this is one of those things that i believe Mr. Tom has to avoid. Under this government i know there are pple who work at positions which require pple with Masters Degree yet they possess a diploma & they occupy such positions just because they are L.C.D.
affiliates. VIVA MR.TOM.

kay NUL wrote:

motsoahae Thabane is greatest opportunist of all he's been in the governmrnt fro about 20 years the guy is rich whats more is he looking for. He must give others a space

it's okay to have somebody who's rich to lead the country because there's not so much to devour from the hungry pple of the roof of Africa. i also believe riches should be regarded as a standard for leading this country just as other prosperous countries like America do. PPle like Mr. Bush in of America is very rich but He's still in politics. what do you mean the "...guy is rich whats more is he looking for. He must give others a space."

I tend to believe that Lesotho needs people like Mr. Thabane who grabs opportunity for change with two hands. "Parliament e se nang bohanyetsi e thibana litsebe".This is great a achievement on the political front.

As a foreigner i do not have much of an insight into Lesotho politics, i only hope that the best candidate would rule the country as there is still a lot to be done in this lovely kingdom

Why all this mud slinging when Basotho could join hands with other Basotho in the diaspora and work for a prosperous Lesotho: If democracy means spending so much energy shouting at each other then I feel sorry for "bana ba rona".The current PM Mosilili is human like everyone else and I am sure he will desclaim perfection.Yet we cannot deny that day Lesotho is respected among the nations of the world. Please give him the political support he needs to developed the country.

Ntate Thababe is indded an oppotunist , he has served in the BNP government , the military and als in the current government , his defection was driven by hunger for power, how does he anticipate to take the lead in an organisation which he has not been groomed and mentored in , bo ntate Mosisili and Ntate Lehohla have roots in this organisation , when thabane was enjoying the fruits of the Natioanlist government they were in detention and suffering the hardships,and yet he has got the odessity to want to rise above them , this very party he is defecting from is the one which taught him and made him have an experience of being a leader elected by the people ,all the other previous regimes he served under was due to undemocratic means, Leabuoa in 1970 was defeated but decided to non the less decided to hold onto power with an iron feast, the military was not any different, Ntsu Mokhehle the victor of the 1970 election was still in exile deprived from serving his people whom he fought for tooth and nail against the British colonial rule, younger men then like ntate Pakalitha Mosisili were also exiled , all these years thabane was benefiting from the previous regime which bankrolled the country and deprived the freedom loving people their freedom .In 1993 Ntate Ntsu and his BCP came to rescue the Basotho from this evil and decided to call upon Thabane to come and assist in this transition since he seemed to be willing and capable, today he becomes too big headed when being complemented for his efforts in government and thinks he can by pass the people who were born and bread in the party, he is indeed a lost sheep.Besides he is not the only key role player this is a collective effort by government as a whole. Ntate Mosisili has shown great leadership qualities over the years , today Lesotho has been handed over the responsibility to chair SADC under his leadership , this surely shows that the region holds him in high regard, so to presume that he is failing people and has no vision , is really being absurd , let us all work towards the prosperity and building the nation and stop being decieved by oppotunists like Tom Thabane who have their own ulterior motives.

in my comment i meant bankrupt the country not bankroll, the BNP and military government left Lesotho BANKRUPT which Thabane served under , this mess had to be cleared in 1993 when the newly democratically elected government of DR Ntsu Mokhehle was put in place.(correcting a phrase in the previous comment that i made.)

its amazing that after serving all the governments, mr thabane has JUST realised he is refused to perform his duties as a minister. how convenient for him to leave LCD, after he was the first to register his compressor!

I give praise to Mr Thabane, he is a respectable man and the only person who has shown true leadership gualities in the current government! And i don't know where this misconception comes from thst he is power hungry because according to my understanding he did not defect from LCD to become Prime Minister he simply said that "...the government has lost its vision and mandate given to it by the people." I really hope that his All Basotho Convention (ABC) brings about fundamental change in the lives of Basotho.
VIVA Tom!!!

With the new and ever promising political party established a few months to the next national assebly elections, the political field of Lesotho will never be the same. Led Tom Thabane who is described as effective, efficient and the most experienced politician Lesotho ever have, All Basotho Convention (ABC) is looked at as an alternative to the corrupt and weak ruling Lesotho Congress for Demorcary (LCD). Listening to people's comments the problem with LCD is arrogance and corruption. Since ABC was formed, the Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili, his deputy, Lesao Lehohla and the trade minister, Mpho Malie, LCD is nothing but a bunch of fluent insultors of Tom Thabane.

Surprises and shocks keep coming their way though. Just this morning Tom Thabane was on SABC 2 Morning Live Show as diplomatic as the Prime Minister to be. Mosisili was two days ago on the SABC, but live. He was previleged under SADC summit at Midrand. He enjoys live delivery of speeches on Radio Lesotho. Unfortunately he is out to insult Tom Thabane and not taking the opportunity to provide answers to the questions of development because he has nothing to offer. The ruling LCD's assumption to win election based on passed experiences. There nothing tangeable to offer.

Over the weekend, Sunday at Abia constituency - Tom Thabane's constituency - LCD suffered a boycott by the residents. Both LCD and ABC held political rallies at the same time. The ABC had much bigger growed than the ruling LCD which has transported people from the constituecies around Maseru. The LCD rally was full of ministers' mercedes benz and land cruisers which were used to transport people to the party's rally. The ABC rally was a huge event attended by business people, famu musicians, taxi owners, street vendors, other political parties - Noteable BNP and BCP - youth, especially the working class. Those who attended were shoulting ABC's slogan - Lachaba!!!

The LCD's content was insults from the deputy prime minister and trade minister to Tom Thabane, while the ABC's was developmental information and basic facts about some ministers. There was no mentioning of people by names, but the crowed made its conclusions.

Credit must be given to Radio Lesotho for casting Tom Thabane's speech word by word. This is a good move by the radio. However, I expect much. This coming Sunday (29th October, 2006) ABC is raising its flag. Radio Lesotho must cast the event as early as Sunday evening or live as it was the case a week ago in the parliament when Mosisili delivered a set of insults and abuse to Tom and the reamining LCD's MPs. Maoba u ne u le ntja ea me. E re ke eja ke u fe masapo.(Yesterday you were my dog. When I was eating, I was giving some bones.)

I think Tom Thabane's strength lies on development issues.

Anonymous wrote:

With the new and ever promising political party established a few months to the next national assebly elections, the political field of Lesotho will never be the same. Led Tom Thabane who is described as effective, efficient and the most experienced politician Lesotho ever have, All Basotho Convention (ABC) is looked at as an alternative to the corrupt and weak ruling Lesotho Congress for Demorcary (LCD). Listening to people's comments the problem with LCD is arrogance and corruption. Since ABC was formed, the Prime Minister Pakalitha Mosisili, his deputy, Lesao Lehohla and the trade minister, Mpho Malie, LCD is nothing but a bunch of fluent insultors of Tom Thabane.
Surprises and shocks keep coming their way though. Just this morning Tom Thabane was on SABC 2 Morning Live Show as diplomatic as the Prime Minister to be. Mosisili was two days ago on the SABC, but live. He was previleged under SADC summit at Midrand. He enjoys live delivery of speeches on Radio Lesotho. Unfortunately he is out to insult Tom Thabane and not taking the opportunity to provide answers to the questions of development because he has nothing to offer. The ruling LCD's assumption to win election based on passed experiences. There nothing tangeable to offer.
Over the weekend, Sunday at Abia constituency - Tom Thabane's constituency - LCD suffered a boycott by the residents. Both LCD and ABC held political rallies at the same time. The ABC had much bigger growed than the ruling LCD which has transported people from the constituecies around Maseru. The LCD rally was full of ministers' mercedes benz and land cruisers which were used to transport people to the party's rally. The ABC rally was a huge event attended by business people, famu musicians, taxi owners, street vendors, other political parties - Noteable BNP and BCP - youth, especially the working class. Those who attended were shoulting ABC's slogan - Lachaba!!!
The LCD's content was insults from the deputy prime minister and trade minister to Tom Thabane, while the ABC's was developmental information and basic facts about some ministers. There was no mentioning of people by names, but the crowed made its conclusions.
Credit must be given to Radio Lesotho for casting Tom Thabane's speech word by word. This is a good move by the radio. However, I expect much. This coming Sunday (29th October, 2006) ABC is raising its flag. Radio Lesotho must cast the event as early as Sunday evening or live as it was the case a week ago in the parliament when Mosisili delivered a set of insults and abuse to Tom and the reamining LCD's MPs. Maoba u ne u le ntja ea me. E re ke eja ke u fe masapo.(Yesterday you were my dog. When I was eating, I was giving some bones.)
I think Tom Thabane's strength lies on development issues.

how do you give props to such a man are you aware that he served under two systems which were undemocratic , depriving the freedom loving people of lesotho their basic right , he never opposed such , he served them with loyalty , the country during their tenure was landed into bankrupcy he was also there never opted to resign enjoyed the benefits.LCD TAUGHT HIM AND MADE HIM EXPERIENCE SERVING UNDER A DEMOCRACY AND BEING ELECTED BY PEOPLE IN HIS CONSTITUENCY SO THAT HE COULD REPRESENT THEM , TODAY HE FEELS BIG HEADED AND THINKS HE CAN BYPASS PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN MENTORED AND GROOMED IN A POLITICAL PARTY WHICH HAS FOR YEARS FOUGHT FOR THE FREEDOM OF THE BASOTHO'S FROM COLONIAL RULE ,FROM DICTATORSHIPS WHICH HE SERVED UNDER , AT ONE POINT IN TIME IMPLICATED FOR EMBAZZLING THE COUNTRIES FUNDS AND FLEEING TO SOUTH AFRICA FOR REFFUUGE , AND WE GIVE PROPS TO HIM , HE IS INDDEED AN OPPOTUNIST , THE LCD RECRUITED HIM ON A RECOCILIATORY NOTE TODAY HE FEELS HE CAN OVERTURN THEM.