Live up to your election promises

The new Cabinet sworn in by Prime Minister Thomas Thabane last week appears on the surface bloated for a country of just 1.8 million people.

It is likely to have 23 ministries with several deputy ministers likely to be appointed into office this week.

Under the current politics of coalition this was to be expected.

Keeping everybody within the coalition happy is the price Lesotho must pay.

But we wish this team the best of luck. For luck is what it needs.

When the excitement of the new government dies down we expect nothing short of hard work on the part of the new ministers to correct the mistakes and shortcomings of the past government.

With better planning and everyone pulling in the same direction, we believe this country can punch above its weight and tame the twin evils of poverty and hopelessness that for decades have kept Basotho prisoner.

All will depend on whether this new cabinet has the political will to deliver. We acknowledge that for the first time in a very long time there is a euphoric mood in the country with lots of hope and renewed enthusiasm to get things done.

The new government must not squander this goodwill.

Below we list a few areas that we think need urgent shake-up.

First, is the Ministry of Tourism, Environment and Culture. We have argued on this page in the past that Lesotho, with its God-given beauty, can be a “tourist Mecca” if it is properly marketed.

There is no doubt that this country is privileged to have breath-taking scenery and areas that have remained virtually untouched by modernity.

We need not remind the new Minister of Tourism ’Mamahele Radebe of the untapped potential within the sector.

Kenya, Zimbabwe, Egypt and South Africa, among others, generate huge amounts of foreign exchange through tourism.

Lesotho can join this small club if it seriously markets itself as a destination of choice for tourists.

The other key ministry where we expect to see some dramatic changes is that of agriculture and food security. Minister Litšoane Litšoane faces an onerous task of reviving the agriculture sector and ensuring that no Mosotho goes to bed on an empty stomach.

In his victory speech delivered two weeks ago, Thabane pledged to revive the agriculture sector so that Basotho can be able to “plough their fields and produce food, rain or no rain”.

We promise to play our watchdog role to ensure the new government lives up to its pre-election promise.

The new government must empower farmers to ensure they grow enough to feed Lesotho’s 1.8 million people.

Any country that relies on imports and handouts from international relief agencies compromises its own sovereignty. Asserting our own sovereignty starts by producing enough to feed ourselves.

Never again should Basotho be subjected to the indignity of begging and relying on hand-outs from donors.

Lesotho can go back to the “golden era” when it used to grow enough to feed itself.

We cannot continue to hide behind “climate change”.

The third aspect relates to the creation of jobs for the hundreds of thousands of unemployed Basotho youths.

With so many unemployed youths, there is no argument that Lesotho is sitting on a ticking time bomb.

We must remember that it was the youths, fed up with their wretched lot, who drove the spontaneous revolution in Tunisia that ousted Ben Ali.

Any government that fails to deal with the scourge of unemployment and hopelessness among youths risks a violent ouster by its youths.

It is therefore critical that the new government explores novel ways of empowering youths by creating jobs.

Trade Minister Temeki Tšolo, must push for a review of Lesotho’s investment laws to make them investor-friendly.

Take for instance, the issue of work and residence permits for foreign staff. Is there any sound reason why investors must be subjected to the laborious task of securing two separate permits?

Why not simplify the process and make it investor friendly by adopting the South African model where a work permit serves also as a residence permit?

As a newspaper, we wish no ill towards the new government.

We must however state that we will continue to play our watchdog role to ensure those charged with the management of the national purse deliver on their election promises.