Political shenanigans 

The political shenanigans that have since dogged Lesotho are back at play, still being engineered within the ruling All Basotho Convention (ABC). It has surfaced in the last two days that it is not all well within the leader of the four-party coalition government (4x4), the ABC. Two major events are at stake here - one, formation of a new coalition with the arch-rival, the Democratic Congress (DC), two, ditching of the current coalition partners (Alliance of Democrats, Basotho National Party and Reformed Congress of Lesotho). If the envisaged new coalition becomes a reality, it will become a game changer in the political landscape of Lesotho. Finally, it will give credence to the notion that the coalition arrangement in Lesotho is a non-starter and might be a failing project. This will be the fourth time no coalition government completes its five-year term as postulated in the constitution of the land that the lifespan of a parliament which forms a government must be a maximum of five years. The implicit impact of the development is that it prolongs the political shenanigans within which Lesotho has been e broiled since 2012, placing Lesotho on a pedestal in as far as the country's international image is concerned. 

Background 

Yesterday, (03 April 2020), the Deputy Leader of ABC, standing at the gates of the Transformation Resource Centre (TRC), announced that an agreement has been signed between the ABC and DC for formation of a coalition government. He intimated that they are awaiting parliament to reopens soon, noting that there was a case in the high court, challenging closure of parliament, whose verdict would allow for the opening of parliament and allow for the formation of the envisaged coalition government. He was flanked by DC Leader, Mathibeli Mokhothu, DC Spokesperson, Serialong Qoo, ABC spokesperson Montoeli Masoetsa and other ABC members. This announcement came amid speculations that a sizeable number of ABC MPs had signed a memorandum of agreement with the DC to form a coalition government. This was given credence by the ABC Spokeperson Masoetsa, who spoke on a local radio stations indication that they had a 2/3 majority (80 of the 120 MPs) who had acceded to the agreement, noting that ABC MPs had elected the Thetsane No:33 MP and Finance Minister, Dr Moeketsi Majoro to succeed Thomas Thabane, who has since announced that he was stepping down.

Thabane's unprecedented step down was ignited by his being embroiled in allegations of assassination of his second wife, Lipolelo Thabane, who was gunned down in cold blood on 14 June 2017, ahead of his swearing in. The DC Spokesperson, Serialong Qoo, also confirmed that there was a memorandum of agreement between the DC and ABC on formation of a new coalition government, saying that the DC had since raised concerns about a number of malpractices and malfeasance in the reign of ABC-led coalition (poor service delivery, police brutality on suspects, poor governance across the spectrum and that the ABC had heeded their call, hence the coalition government. 

Potential political instability 

Given the signals since this brawl started a couple of days ago, the army has been conspicuously visible, though under the pretext of protection of citizens from the notorious novel Coronavirus as per the rules and guidelines prohibiting movement of persons in the streets for fear of spreading the disease. Sight and visibility of the army spells disaster in the political calmness of the country, given the historical involvement of the army, which has had adverse and nasty implications for the citizenry. There will surely be a time when the army clashes with citizens as it is already doing now, embarking on a brutal spree. 

Unleashing the army to brutally harm citizens who will be against any decision that the government will take to fend off oppositional elements will be a breeding ground for conflict. The conflict will spill into the mainstream of the citizenry and casualties will heighten the spell, reminiscence of what happed in the 2015-201 era under the 7-party coalition led by the DC. The penultimate action will be to involve the Southern African Development Community (SADC) once again, this having a replica effect of damaging Lesotho's international image. These are the implications of politicians who think in the short-term, but have no long-term vision for the country.

Detracting focus away from COVID-19

The political shenanigans that are brewed within the political edifice of Lesotho during this time when the country is facing a fatal and novel Coronavirus have the potential to detract attention and focus away from efforts to protect the citizens from the catastrophic and deadly COVID-19. The government of Lesotho had just announced a stay-at-home declaration of emergency in order to curtail the spread of the virus. Luckily, the Mountain Kingdom has not registered a single case of prevalence of the virus, thanks to the Almighty God for protection of His people. But this does not mean, resting on our laurels and waiting for the worst to happen. The government must hell-bent on finding ways to maintain the status by embarking on strict preventive measures, this so because if the virus spreads in Lesotho, it will spell disaster and wreak havoc for the tiny Kingdom, which has a weak health system. Therefore, the political shenanigan came at a wrong time as politicians, who are unfortunately the main machinery that has resources to protect the nation against the pandemic, will focus their attention and energy on the politics.

Detracting focus away from multisector reforms 

On another score, Lesotho is engaged in multisector reforms, an exercise which has become a brand strategy for the 4x4 coalition government as it claims that it is the one that ignited the reforms agenda. Yes, the 4x4 coalition government put reforms as a major campaign issue in the previous poll that put it on power and even inked it in its coalition agreement, cementing the notion that it was hellbent on seeing Lesotho transform from its current state of underdevelopment to a new page. There was headway demonstrated by nationwide and sector-wide commitment to the reforms across the spectrum. 

The last three years since 2018 when the first national dialogue was staged have demonstrated Lesotho's commitment, which has received the ire of the international community, which has hailed the Kingdom for embarking on a new trajectory for the internationally battered Lesotho. The international community has pledged financial and other support to see the reforms become a reality. However, the political shenanigans of the last two days, which come with a mayhem and a possible bickering. If it ends in the formation of a new government, that will not go unnoticed without a slight intraparty, interparty and inter-citizenry conflict. It will therefore have a chilling effect on progress registered on the reforms as attention will shift away to quell political fray which will be caused by the mayhem. 

Implications for sustainable development goals 

Lesotho is part of the watershed global efforts to drive the sustainability agenda, which is scheduled for achievement in 2030, ten years from now. One of the goals of the Agenda 2030 is to attain global peace, justice and to build strong institutions (SDG number 16). When foundations of peace are disturbed at local level (Lesotho), that has serious ramifications for the projected goal of attiring global peace. Undoubtedly, this will invite the attention of SADC and its intervention will be eminent. Lesotho will revert to the doldrums of the yesteryears again.