Pick from the rot
By Scrutator
| S |
O here we go again.
The season of half-truths and outright lies is upon us.
Phew!
The stench of the horrible lies that office seekers utter is not what bothers Scrutator.
Rather it is the naivety with which voters gobble the lies that gets her goat.
Every five years we cast our vote for men and women seeking to make a living out of empty-promises.
They work for themselves and no one else, lining their pockets while the majority wallow in abject poverty.
And when they fail to deliver we still have their empty promises for the main course and their lame excuses as dessert.
Still we keep falling for the same trick hook, line and sinker.
We wait for a miracle to happen in our lives. We hope deliverance will come sooner rather than later.
Yet the reality is that for as long as we keep hoping our politicians will lead us to the Land of Plenty then we are “Waiting for Godot”.
| T |
he list of political parties contesting the May 26 election makes for depressing reading.
It’s the same bucket of poppycock from which voters are being asked to pick something that looks cleanable.
Never in the history of this country has a political race been run by such pathetic horses.
Never before have voters been asked to choose from such an extensive list of mediocre and weak parties.
Sad isn’t it that we are being asked to choose between a rotten tomato and a rotten tomato.
| O |
n top of this pile is the newly formed Democratic Congress (DC), a party cobbled out of wounded rejects from the Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD).
To its credit, the DC hasn’t pretended that it offers anything special.
It came to power under controversial circumstances and it now seeks to be confirmed as government through the ballot.
As far as policies go it is as empty as a vacuum. In terms of credibility it is as bankrupt as MKM.
You know you have hit rock bottom when your only claim to fame as a party is that you are led by a former leader of another party.
Second on the list is the LCD, a party that fought its way to a split and kicked itself out of power.
The weak and headless LCD is promising people nothing new because it has nothing new to offer.
There comes a time when you are trapped in the web of your own lies.
To untangle yourself you have to stop weaving that web lest people laugh you off as a pathological liar who is now so naive to believe your own lies.
The LCD has already proven beyond reasonable doubt that it has neither the will nor the zeal to fight corruption.
To return it to power will be as good as asking for five more years similar to the last 15.
We now know how the LCD people looted when they were in power.
We know when they were in power they were so corrupt that we had to pray hard so that they don’t give tenders and jobs even to cats, ducks and goats from their villages.
| N |
ext in the morass is the All Basotho Convention (ABC), a party led by a man with a bucket list. Despite being only half a decade old the ABC has grown old and frail.
It remains rooted in Maseru when the reality is that elections in this country are decided by poor peasants in the villages.
The leader has surrounded himself with people whose IQs are lower than his.
You can only make it in the ABC if you know how to say a very loud “yes” to the old man at the top.
Did I hear someone say “Basotho National Party (BNP)?”
Well, this one is burdened by its historical sins.
The reason why this country is still one big village in the 21st century is because of the BNP’s rule.
The talk that it is going through a revival is a self-delusional lie perpetrated by those who still have a terrible hangover of dictatorship.
Selective amnesia is not strength but a weakness.
Scrutator didn’t know dictatorship was so addictive.
The BNP has no idea what it will offer this country in the unlikely event that it gets into power.
| W |
e have the National Independent Party (NIP), a mistress of a party.
Apart from the fact that it likes marrying too much nothing else substantial is known about its policies.
Enter the Lesotho Workers’ Party. Mmmmm, now this is one fat joke of a party.
The least Scrutator says about this party the better.
The Basutoland Congress Party which was left bereft of supporters and ideas when it unwillingly gave birth to the LCD is simply shallow.
The Lesotho People’s Congress just has no people.
Senkatana Party, Basotho Democratic National Party, Basotho Batho Democratic Party, Sefate Democratic Party and African Development Corporation (silly name that one) are only there to make up the numbers.
| S |
crutator would have loved to give you the whole list of political parties in this country but the futility of that exercise just saps her energy.
The fact is that the options in this election are so varied yet so pathetic.
That is why there is no reason to be excited about this election unless you are one of those who have been promised a tender, a job or a ministerial position.
You can be as sure as the sun rises from the east and sets in the west that there will be no substantial policy debate in this election.
Of course there will be quotable quotes but they will be limited to petty insults only fit for a school playground.
As usual Size 2 will breathe fire and call the opposition unprintable names. The old man from the ABC will shout his head off.
The other pretenders in the opposition camp will scream and whine. But the politics of this country will remain hollow.
| Y |
et that does not mean you should not vote. What you must not do is to fool yourself that any government will change your fortunes.
You can elect those that are less dirty but you should not be disappointed when they too are corrupted beyond recognition.
Never deceive yourself that any government in Lesotho will pull you out of poverty.
Never let the change of a government limit your ambition and will to succeed.
Only you and not the government of the day can map your destiny.
Work and fight for what you want.
As for those who still insist on putting their faith in politicians, well, just know that the “Beautiful Ones Are Not Yet Born”.
Ache!
scrutator29@gamil.com
Comment by lenong on 15 March 2012:
Full marks to you. Is nice to see that in our confused country entangled by lying and even cheating ourselves, we have somebody to face and caution us. Of course it is not surprising that we are in this confusion coz we follow parties led by those from similar source and driven by bitterness, and hardly debating poliicies. We discuss people not policies because we are “small minds”. Unfortunately we have to drink “senoelo sena ho fihlela re utloisisa”. This is how we are going to learn that every sector and every corner of Lesotho has to be overhauled.
Comment by mohlalefi on 15 March 2012:
Utloang, All we need,all I need is 1,2,3, Years,Poverty will be History in Lesotho.Three years.IMAGINE. Some day a little girl comes home to her mother and says,”Mommy, ijust learned in school that the was a time in lesotho when people lived in abject poverty.Is that true?”
And the mother says to the little girl,”Oh yes honey,it is true.I’m sad about that.But fortunately,that’s a very, very long time ago”
Comment by semenekane on 15 March 2012:
Thumps up Scru!! Watch out this newly established CD party painted with red Chinese colour code. It is lead by de same people who caused this country to be stagnant for de past 15 years. There is no economic growth, poverty reduction, improved service delivery and measures to fight corruption.
These men and women with red ties are crooks only interested in self enrichment at tax payers expenses. They always have empty promises full of lies and half truths
Corrupt as they are, they have absolutely nothing to offer Basotho.
Comment by Makhoalibe on 15 March 2012:
But Scru has forgotten to mention the PFD. I would have liked to hear your comment about it, otherwise you are so right. We have to exchange a monkey for a baboon!
Comment by naha on 15 March 2012:
ae! now my power is tired. who do we turn to now cos all we want is a party that understands a mission is greater than man ke phetho. a party just like in football, when a coach no matter how many trophies it won, when it messes up at some moment in time it goes straight out.where an unproductive player is also substituted asap from the field. why because the mission of earning 3points and taking the league is greater than any man in the team. ha ho beng joalo le bo busing na naha ena.
Comment by lineo on 15 March 2012:
My dear Scrutator sometimes you end your articles too soon. I just cant get enough of them.
How about a blog?
Comment by 'matlhakeli on 15 March 2012:
Hee banna le basali ba heso ke nako joale ea hore re buleng mahlo a rona, re khathetse ke banna baholo bana ba litelu li putsoa bana.we need a young leader, a visionery, batho ba li policies,economists rather than these old fools. nna ke khathetse ke litle….. likobo tsena aicona
Comment by Terateng on 15 March 2012:
Joale Scru o bolela hore re se ke ra ea likhethong hobane re il’okhetha a rotten tomato from a rotten tomato? What is it that you are telling us?
Comment by Lelimo on 15 March 2012:
How about Whitehorse Party???? not mentioned.
Comment by Thala-Boliba on 15 March 2012:
“Waiting On The World To Change”
Me and all my friends
We’re all misunderstood
They say we stand for nothing and
There’s no way we ever could
Now we see everything that’s going wrong
With the world and those who lead it
We just feel like we don’t have the means
To rise above and beat it
So we keep waiting
Waiting on the world to change
We keep on waiting
Waiting on the world to change
It’s hard to beat the system
When we’re standing at a distance
So we keep waiting
Waiting on the world to change
Now if we had the power
To bring our neighbors home from war
They would have never missed a Christmas
No more ribbons on their door
And when you trust your television
What you get is what you got
Cause when they own the information, oh
They can bend it all they want
That’s why we’re waiting
Waiting on the world to change
We keep on waiting
Waiting on the world to change
It’s not that we don’t care,
We just know that the fight ain’t fair
So we keep on waiting
Waiting on the world to change
And we’re still waiting
Waiting on the world to change
We keep on waiting waiting on the world to change
One day our generation
Is gonna rule the population
So we keep on waiting
Waiting on the world to change
We keep on waiting
Waiting on the world to change
Comment by Danny De Damaja on 16 March 2012:
When everything and everyone else fails, we ve only God to turn to. Choosing between LCD, ABC & DC is like choosing between baboon and monkey or choosing between satan and de devil. Only a lunatic can gladly make that choice. OMG!
Comment by Willard mubvumbi on 16 March 2012:
scrutator! I like your articles. May God bless you.
Comment by Popo on 18 March 2012:
The fact of the matter is that B N P developed this country during its 20 year rule. Your unfortunate and biased view that “its past sins” make it an insignificant player in today’s political landscape holds little water. B N P’s prevailing problem is their inability to elect a decent leader.
Comment by lineo on 18 March 2012:
@popo, which development did the BNP make.
Scrutator is correct this country is one big village. Most people have no water, the road network is terrible.
Schools are far between, proper hospitals are only coming now.
Roads in the villages are only coming now.Sewage was is still a special thing to the majority.
The BNP must share the blame for that.
Comment by Popo on 18 March 2012:
The following infrastructural developments took place during the tenure of B N P: Lesotho Bank. Agric Bank. lesotho Flour Mills, Loti Brick. L T C. Building Finance, Moshoeshoe 1 Airport, N D S O, The Sun Hotels, Victoria Hotel, Qhobosheaneng, WASA, L E C, N U L, N T T C, Agric College. If these are not developments, I don’t know what development represents? Unemployment was low, corruption and nepotism were not as rampant. There were no millionaire B N P ministers.
Comment by Mojakisane on 20 March 2012:
@popo, wow thats so much achieved in two decades.
20 fucken years in power and all you can credit them with is a university they didnt even start, a tinny airport where proper planes cant land, two collapsed Banks, a dingy hotel and two privately owned hotels. Wow. Wow Popo. NDSO, I thought that was just an organisation that regulates the drug industry. It doesnt make drugs right?
Qhobosheaneng? Whats so special about that?
You must have really struggled to come up with that list. If this is only what the BNP government used our money on then they looted big time.
“There were no millionaire BNP ministers”. Why do you say that as fact like you had access to their accounts?
Corruption and nepotism were not as rampant. Really? Any proof to that effect or you are just politiking to score cheap points in a argument that you badly want to win.
My dear Popo is i were you i would just shut up and look for a new party. BNP is finished and gone. Its finito for BNP.
Comment by mohlalefi on 20 March 2012:
Ke se ileng, se ileng, seile.Ha re-eeng pele, mosebetsi o moholo. ha re bonana botle re tla o bebofatsa.Ke mosebetsi oa roneng ka ofela.
Straight is the gate,narrow’s is the way …..”Scripture”
Comment by mju on 21 March 2012:
Popo u hopole hore lona nakong ea lona ho ne ho se motho ea ka botsang letho ka taba tsa sechaba. Tsohle tseo e bang li ile tsa etsahala nakong eo ho ne ho se le motho ea ka reng na li etsoa hantle kapa che. Ke sona sebe se fetang tsohle lefats’eng la lipolitiki seo. Haeba ho na le seo sechaba se tla u ahlolela sona, ke ho se tima bolokolohi. Feela ha le soabe hore ka lilemo tse fetang kotara ea Century, le sa makoa le hlotsoe ho beha naha maemong a hlokahalang. Hono ho bonts’a bolehe bo fetisang. Sheba hore na Maburu a behile RSA ho kae nakong eo ba neng ba sebetsa ba sa makoa. Sheba Gadaffi hore na o behile Lybia ho kae h’a ne a sa makoa.
Manasi a luletse ho ithorisa ka koulu e ‘ngoe ka 120 minutes, feela ho se na libapali tsa ba lireng ka lebaleng. Hona ke ho hloka hlonepho ho Basotho ruri. Ha le na le lihlong ho hloliea sechaba sena ka mahlabisa-lihlong ano a lona, leha chaba sena se se se bonts’itse hore ha sea le ts’oarela letho.
Ha le qeta le utloa bohloko ha le hopotsoa hore le ne le iphetotse babolai ba sechaba. Le re ho tholoe feela empa e le mesebetsi eo le entseng. Anthe le ne le e etsetsang? Ke re ekaba ke sona seo le neng le se rata? Motho e mong le e mong mesebetsi ea hae e-ea mo latela. Ke buka eo le ingolletseng eona eno.
Comment by Popo on 21 March 2012:
It is sad that in this country we don’t have a forum of intellectuals where people can engage in objective public debates on matters that characterize the country’s political landscape. One envies other African countries in this regard.One feels the pain when the nation is fed mediocrity that is evident in the evening phone – in programs by the private radio stations. When I was a high school pupil we used to engage in debates. We used to witness commendable reasonableness and great arguments. A friend of mine assured me that that level should only be expected in the next twenty years in this country. I expected people commenting on this site to be an indication to that effect. I must admit I am disappointed. I therefore Rest My Case.