Ntsebeng Motsoeli
THE National Reforms Authority (NRA) was on Thursday inaugurated into office by Acting Chief Justice ‘Maseforo Mahase at the Old Parliament Building in Maseru.
Immediately afterwards the newly-installed members of the NRA elected opposition Basotho Democratic Nationals Party (BDNP) leader, Chief Pelele Letsoela and Liteboho Kompi of the opposition Movement for Economic Movement (MEC) as the NRA chairperson and deputy chairperson respectively.
The NRA is mandated to manage, coordinate, and lead the implementation of the multi-sector reforms that were recommended in 2016 by the Southern African Development Community as part of efforts to achieve lasting peace and stability in Lesotho. The NRA Has 56 voting members and three non-voting members.
The authority will now begin work including overseeing the translation of national resolutions into draft laws for enactment by parliament.
The reforms resolutions cover seven thematic areas namely, the judiciary, economy, security, media, parliamentary, public service and the constitution.
The reforms resolutions were produced from the data collected from the public by the National Reforms Dialogue Committee (NDPC) through plenaries and consultations.
On Thursday, the NRA, whose members are drawn political parties, government, different professions and vocations, took their oath before Justice Mahase and other judges of the High Court. Cabinet ministers, diplomats, legislators as well as the SADC Facilitation Team overseeing the reforms attended the inauguration ceremony.
In a statement Law, Human Rights and Constitutional Affairs Minister, Habofanoe Lehana, said the “the NRA is charged with translating the National Resolutions across the seven thematic areas of the reforms into draft laws for enactment by parliament”.
“The first immediate act of the authority will be to establish its secretariat comprising a chief executive and deputy plus staff that will be expert heads of desks supervising reforms in the given areas; and preparing the product for consideration by the authority in line with the people’s mandate.
“Citizens will be kept abreast of developments pertaining to their roles in the different phases of the process and the accomplishments therefrom until we enter the pantheon of what we can all proudly call ‘The Lesotho we want’.”
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