Dream on!
By Scrutator
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it by bit, we are beginning to see the euphoria that came with the inauguration of the threesome government being replaced by frustration and dejection.
The shindigs have stopped and the eulogies have been muffled.
Praise singers are saving their voices for more useful projects. Bootlickers have decided to conserve their tongues, perhaps for the boots of other masters.
The garrulous self-appointed defenders have become fewer. Civil servants who were jostling to please the new masters have gone back to their old indolent ways.
All Basotho Convention people who were “untouchables” soon after Tommy finally made it to the State House have since come down to earth.
Lesotho Congress for Democracy supporters, who went into a frenzy when their party came back to power, are no longer vociferous. Even the empty chatterboxes in the Basotho National Party, the icing and not the cake in the coalition, have been muted.
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here are two possible explanations for this change of attitude.
First, they are beginning to realise that governing a country is tougher than running a political party.
A government is not a spaza shop, a chesa nama or a carwash.
The supporters of the coalition parties now know what caused Mosisili to bungle until he didn’t seem to care.
Perhaps after being overwhelmed by the enormous task at hand, their leaders too have become more level-headed.
Gone are the threats they were brandishing soon after coming to power.
The hard-line stance they initially adopted has morphed into a moderate and pragmatic approach.
That is good for them, their supporters and the country.
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he second explanation has something to do with the realisation that nothing much has and is ever going to change under this polygamous government.
Granted, there will be some changes in the next five years. But there will not be revolutionary changes that many coalition supporters are anticipating.
Call me a defeatist, unpatriotic or any other ugly name (I like those) but after the next five years these words will remain true.
This not-so-rosy future is not due to the government’s lack of trying.
The problem is not the government’s failure to deliver on its promises but rather what we, the people, expect the government to do for us.
We expect the government to be the conduit through which our dreams and aspirations will come to fruition.
Nothing can be more delusional.
True, some people will sneak into the few jobs available and others will receive some food packets.
But that is all we can expect in the next five years. The rest of the work required to free Basotho from the clutches of poverty remains the responsibility of Basotho and rightly so.
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hat is fuelling this dejection is the warped idea by Basotho that the government must solve most of their problems.
People feel they have rights to government handouts and other forms of entitlements. In a subtle way, governments encourage such an attitude because it ensures that people are beholden to it.
A grateful electorate is pliable and more likely to re-elect the benefactor.
The previous government successfully rode that entitlement horse for 14 years before its spectacular fall in May.
Now this threesome government seems bent on perpetuating the same modus operandi. It is making grand promises of big things it neither has the means nor the capacity to provide.
We are told poverty will end, jobs will be awash and there will be opportunities for all.
Nothing can be further from the truth and the government knows that.
Yet in the meantime the public waits, with mouths ajar hoping to be fed.
The poor are indeed rich in patience and the desperate have eyes that see flickers of hope where there is none.
But as the days go by and the promises remain unfulfilled, the poor content themselves with moaning and whinging.
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f you believe this government or the one that will come after it will pull you out of poverty then you are “Waiting for Godot”.
You will remain as bitter as you were under the previous government.
Jobs will remain scarce.
Opportunities will still be elusive.
You will keep hoping that one day your turn will come. The sad reality is that the government is loath to tell these desperate folks that your “turn” will never come unless you work for it.
Relief never came under the old government and there is no sign that it is on its way under the polygamous government.
The sense of entitlement that has gripped this country since independence will not get us anywhere.
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n an entirely different note, Scrutator welcomes a new rag on the market.
The Mountain Star newspaper was launched amid pomp and fanfare last week.
Scrutator hopes the star will not dim soon.
Judging by the number of “dead rags” that fill newspaper cemeteries in Maseru it is clear that producing newspapers is not like running a car wash business.
A few words of advice to the ambitious founders of the new kid on the bloc will not hurt.
Now, listen carefully.
Going on all fours, begging for advertising from government, is just not cool.
When you give your readers a quality product that has higher sales, then advertising revenue will come on its own.
Use the language that you understand.
If you write in a language that resembles the English language, Sothonglish as it is called, with bad syntax, poor punctuation and badly laid text, your star will stop shining sooner than you can say “hello” to the market.
If you keep your head down, bootlick with moderation and give readers what they want your project might see more moons.
Good luck sister.
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ts quiz time!
Why was a certain judge at the Palace of Justice glum when his office computer did not work?
a) He really wanted to write a judgment.
b) There were important files he wanted to retrieve.
c) He urgently wanted to play solitaire.
Send your answer to scrutator29@gmail.com and you might win a brilliant e-book from Scrutator.
Ache!
Comment by Lepaketla on 25 October 2012:
Scrutator jwale mona o bonahala hatle hore you’re a ‘typical Mosotho’ ya tshabang competition! Your thoughts are big on job creation and yet the launch of Mountain Star got your knees trembling like that of a new born!
This is business nana, better be thinking about your own stragegies to keep your paper on its feet!
Comment by Lehaqasi on 25 October 2012:
Ke utloa u soabisa haholo joang. Ha marafaele ane a sebetsa le lona back then she was good, kajeno kaha u qalile ntho ea hae use a buoa sekhoa se tlaelang? Who do you think you are? Le hle le ikutloe ihlile le tseba sekhoa na lona? Ho hoholo ke puo tse bohla tsena joale kea bona u nahana ke sona sekhooa. Hao, tabloid newspaper ee ea lona le hle le bone ele eona the in thing? Ke utloa lele batho ba soabisang ba bileng ba itlotlollang lona ba lesotho times. ksoa!
Comment by lehoki on 25 October 2012:
a ee bo puso hase papa e phehoang ke bohle, hojoang kajeno hare bone letho, `na ntlohele ha ke sa tla khetha, ke khathetse ke h osebeletsa limpa tsa batho, re sebelitse mabatoooeng mona,joale hoja bona ho khola M26,000 RURI BA IKETLA,JOALE LE KHEKHETHANE TSENA TSEO BA KENYANG BAO BA BARATANG, HE KE BOHLOKO KE TABA TSA HAE MONA,KENE KE NAHANA HORE RE TLA PHELA `MUSONG ONA ,HOEA TS`OANA .
Comment by Setloboko on 25 October 2012:
You are not talking facts but blowing you own opinions, I see differently.You skepticism sometimes clouds your better judgement
Comment by LEKHOARA on 25 October 2012:
U oa bua joale ngoanana, katleho ea motho e matsohong a hae, eseng motho a behe bophelo ba hae matsong a ‘muso. Hoo re tlamehang ho etsahala ke hore re fetole mindsets and attitudes, move from entitlement mentality to opportunity seeking attitude, re hloloa ke machaena, makoerekoere, ma-india e.t.c they are able to make life just infront of our eyes.
Comment by Rangoan'abona on 25 October 2012:
Nxa who de hell is this scrutator? Now dat she/he if hase bisexual le teng, ha batle competition she critisize other pple 4 starting business lyk hers.Ha habo sekhooa hase mona wena skatlo jewa ke mona tjena.
Comment by The fan on 25 October 2012:
well done scrurator …mow u are improving vehemently…a good columninst is the one who has a double edged sword…criticise both parties , ruling and opposing that way we will know that u have no fear nor favour ….and of course u r right SOTHONGLISH must be chased all the way to mokotakoti waste dump …keep it up!!!!
Comment by Maru-mats'o on 25 October 2012:
Ho moepa hoa nyolosetsa. It’s easier to mock and judge others, and make intelligent-sounding comments when you are a spectator outside the field of play. It’s a different ball game when you are on the field. Life is surely full of paradoxes. The pre- and post-election euphoria has fizzled out and reality has surfaced. Many people aligned to DC were ridiculed for questioning the logic and feasibility of some of the unrealistic promises made particularly by the ABC leader and the supporters, e.g. MKM, wages for factory workers, taxi fares, old age pension, civil servants’ salaries etc. As Setswana proverb says: “O se bone nong go rakalala godimo, go ya tlase ke ga yone”. No matter how high a bird can fly, it will surely come down some day. Reality has dawned on the party zealots/rand rank and file that no manna will ever fall down from heaven. Knowledge, wisdom and experience you acquire over a long period of time. My point is, because of the Maseru political euphoria, young people still green on their horns, pretended to be wiser than their elders some of whom are far more educated.
To turn our country around, we simply have to change our work attitudes/practices and work hard like citizens of developed countries like the US, Japan, China etc. As long as it’s business as usual, we shall forever wallow in poverty. Come 2017, nothing much will have changed. Puso ha se potele…
Comment by 'Mathabo on 25 October 2012:
I recognize constructive criticism amid Scru’s crudity!
Comment by KAMZ on 25 October 2012:
One WISE former president of the USA once said “ask not what your country can do for you but ask what YOU can do for your country. The youth in this country lay mouth-open,hoping for this country to do things for them instead of working hard to do good for themselves. Those who are close to the most influecial in gorvenment don’t use those relationships to ask for funds to build solid futures for themselves and their families,the rest of the country, but they use their relationships to ask for handouts and high positions like embassy assignments ( sounds familiar).
They just don,t learn. Whats happening to the Litjobos now? They are even try to use magical powers to raise their weath now that their masters are no longer in power. I urge you young minds, don’t be like a DOG that will go hungry when its rich master dies. NO COUNTRY WILL EVER FULLY SETISFY THE MOUTHS OF ITS CITIZENS NO MATTER HOW RICH IT MAY BE.
Comment by Oa bochabela on 25 October 2012:
Puso ha se mantloane, re ne ts’episoa ho lema matekoane, chelete ea MKM, maholimo le mafats’e. Ho joang kajeno? The politicians should promise what they can able do… UTOPIA
Comment by ABC/LCD/BNP on 25 October 2012:
“”"Civil servants who were jostling to please the new masters have gone back to their old indolent ways.
All Basotho Convention people who were “untouchables” soon after Tommy finally made it to the State House have since come down to earth.
First, they are beginning to realise that governing a country is tougher than running a political party.
A government is not a spaza shop, a chesa nama or a carwash.
The supporters of the coalition parties now know what caused Mosisili to bungle until he didn’t seem to care I LIKE THIS HONESTLY I DO
Comment by Sello on 25 October 2012:
Scrutator, I think on the issue of somebody who is lauching the so-called Mountain Star newspaper you are being unfair or having double standards. How can you be so skeptical about the launching of the newspaper hence I thought you were advocating for people to stop looking for handouts/benefits from government and to do things for themselves. As for English, it is my fourth language and I can tell you the honest truth I don’t give a damn about thier gramma or punctuation marks because many of them don’t even seem to care as long as the message has been conveyed.
I can sense some professional jelousy of some sort in your criticism of the newspaper. I am tempted to believe that you want people to think that you are the only person who knows it all. As much as I agree with you in some issues regarding how people view the government, you never come up with the way forward. I hate to compare you with somebody who critices the builder for “building rubish” but who cannot even make “‘mantloane”. “‘Na ha ke tsebe ntho eno ea lona ea ho haha”.
Comment by Lihanaboi Handcuffs on 25 October 2012:
Shapa Shoti Shapa!
Comment by Sefabatho on 26 October 2012:
Well said Scru, as always. The government is not there to fulfil our dreams,rather it should creat a conducive environment for young people to come up with sustainable businesses. This is the kind of opprtunity that we should be looking for. People should be taught how to do business plans and there should be a fund that support young entreprenuers.We should be looking to build the economy of our country for our own benefits.
This is why I aways find it difficult to understand why is it that when Basotho contractors have been given a HUGE tender to build a road, they just simply do a substandard work. The road is finished even before they finish building it! We are simply destroying the economy of the country by so doing because we have literally taken money from the government and did not give back to it or its citizens. Mind you, a road a very expensive project, but I tell you, after 4 years you will struggle to believe that there was ever a road there. We need to do better as Basotho.
While I agree that your advice to the sister (so I learn) who has launched a new newspaper seems genuine, I tend to agree with KAMZ that there is a bit of jelousy in your advice particularly if you used to work with this person. Lets hope the newspaper will do well and by so doing create more competition and more jobs for Basotho.
I must say that I like your column very much and you are good at what you write. I also agree with you that a neswspaper should be well written if it is to attract readers.
You really do give me hope Scru. If we can have people that think the way you do, this country can get somewhere.
Cheers Scru
Comment by litaba on 26 October 2012:
srutator i kinda like ur articles,in particular ur awarness to those used to beleive tt running is like monitoring a spazza shop,but with respect,i think mking a criticism abt another newspaper whc has just be formed in another paper where u an audience is unprofessional.Complements must be given to u for a brialant debate tt u made,Ho busa naha haho tsoane leho hanyetse,ke hopola ka hlolo ha Mosisili are ho Thabane ke leo lesokoana hare bone.Ntate Thabane its time to effect those fery tales into reality,u promised textile employees 2020,gvt employees salary restructuring not increments,and to improve the lifes of de poor and create job opportunities.
Comment by Bobete on 26 October 2012:
Some folks have captured it very well as Scru has driven the point home. Govt is not here to make miracles or maselamose so that the next day you are a completely different person. Some pple are demanding certain favours from govt and without commensurate credentials for that matter.
Again the folks has it correct, grow up Scru this is business and either put up or shut up. It is called competition.
Comment by lehlotse feela on 29 October 2012:
FACTORY WORKERS 2020-YES INDEED!!!!!!!!!
Comment by Koatake on 30 October 2012:
Hm! Dream on
Comment by mohlalefi on 31 October 2012:
Ke tla kholoma ke renq Ooe Limo? Khomo tseso Li kalo ka LINALELI