Staff Writer
THE Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) has demand representation in the proposed National Reforms Commission, thus joining a growing list of organisations including the journalists, the disabled and women lawyers who have made similar demands.
Led by the deputy army commander, Major General Matela Matobakele, the LDF issued the demand during its recent submissions to the Law and Public Safety parliamentary portfolio committee.
Since it came to power in June 2017, the Thomas Thabane-led four party coalition government has been consulting various stakeholders including political parties, business organisations and non-governmental organisations in efforts to build consensus on the multi-sectoral reforms the country needs to implement to end perennial instability.
The envisaged constitutional, security sector, public service, governance and media reforms are part of recommendations made by the regional Southern African Development Community (SADC) in 2016 to ensure enduring peace and stability crucial to the country’s socio-economic development.
In his recent submission to the parliamentary portfolio committee, Maj-Gen Matobakele, said while the LDF fully supported the reforms bill, it wanted to see the appointment of a person with army expertise, preferably of the rank of general or above that to represent the LDF on the proposed National Reforms Commission.
The National Reforms Commission Bill was tabled before parliament on 17 January 2017.
The bill seeks to provide for the establishment of the National Reforms Commission whose mandate is to facilitate national dialogue on the envisaged reforms.
The envisaged commission shall be composed of six commissioners and led by a retired judge or any other eminent person. It will operate for an initial period of 18 months with a provision for another 12 month extension to enable it to complete its mandate.
Maj-Gen Matobakele said it was important that one of the commissioners be a military expert because the army had its own methods of operating and implementing its mandate which could only be understood by a person with military experience.
While Lesotho’s reforms were recommended by SADC, Maj-Gen Matobakele emphasised the need for local ownership of the entire reforms process by Basotho.
“The reforms commission must have the ownership of Basotho and not the international community,” Maj-Gen Matobakele said, adding that an international security expert could only come in as an advisor to the local expert.
Besides the LDF, the Journalists Union of Lesotho, the International Federation of Women Lawyers and the Lesotho National Federation of Organisations of the Disabled (LNFOD) have all demanded representation on the proposed National Reforms Commission.
Maj-Gen Matobakele also echoed army commander, Lieutenant General Mojalefa Letsoela, by assuring the portfolio committee of the army’s willingness and readiness to transform into a fully professional non-partisan institution that served national rather than sectarian interests.
The army has been under the spotlight for its past role in fomenting chaos and instability through acts of murder and assassinations which claimed the lives of army commanders, Lt-Gen Maaparankoe Mahao and Khoantle Motšomotšo respectively in June 2015 and September 2017.
The army also conducted raids on several police stations in Maseru in what was described as an attempted coup by Prime Minister, Thomas Thabane.
The raids resulted in the death of Police Sub Inspector, Mokheseng Ramahloko.
Former LDF commander, Lt-Gen Tlali Kamoli, and three LDF officers have been charged with murdering Sub-Inspector Ramahloko during the 30 August 2014 attempted coup against Dr Thabane’s first government.
The former army commander separately faces 14 counts of attempted murder over the 27 January 2014 simultaneous bombings of the Moshoeshoe II homes of First Lady Maesaiah Thabane, ‘Mamoshoeshoe Moletsane and the Ha Abia residence of former police commissioner Khothatso Tšooana.
Several other LDF members have also been arraigned before the courts to face murder and attempted murder charges.