Dear Cabinet and Congress Members,
THIS week I intended to write to you about “the beautiful ones that are not yet born” but I had to change after I did something drastic and dramatic.
By now most of you know that I fired five ministers two weeks ago.
Many are still mourning over the loss of their jobs.
The papers described it as the biggest shake-up in the history of the Lesotho Congress for Democracy government.
They are right.
There comes a time when a leader has to stamp his authority.
It’s not a bad idea for a leader to flex their muscle once in a while.
That way juniors will not take you for granted.
If there is anything to be learnt from this reshuffle it is that no one has a permanent job in this government.
It was not an easy decision to make, though.
You can imagine calling in a minister you have worked with for years to tell them that their services are no longer needed.
You should have been there comrades.
It was such a sad sight to watch a whole minister wilt before your eyes after receiving their marching orders.
Not that I enjoyed the shocked look on their faces after I delivered news that those ministerial benefits they had enjoyed for years were gone.
I find it quite queer that while we were swearing in the new ministers some sympathisers of those fired were busy protesting at the party headquarters.
Their gripe, I am told, was that they had not been consulted about the decision to reshuffle cabinet.
My reaction to those complaints is simple.
I am not under any obligation to consult anyone before I appoint a minister.
I don’t need a second opinion to confirm whether I want a person in my cabinet or not.
Why should I consult before firing a person I personally hired?
Comrades, what happened at the headquarters leaves me convinced beyond reasonable doubt that there are rotten apples in the movement.
The rogue elements in the movement are on the loose again.
Their recklessness is opening up the party to attacks from the enemy.
What particularly worries me is that most of the bad apples are in the youth league, the same people we are expecting to lead this movement when our generation has been called yonder.
It’s sad that these young cadres are still committed to being used by some senior party officials who are desperate to remain relevant in the political arena.
These young zealots have become willing tools for those senior members who have nefarious schemes they are plotting in the party.
That little demonstration at the party headquarters did not shock me.
It was an indication that there are still many among us who are power-hungry.
It reminded me that there are still many in our midst who will not cease plotting.
But I must take this opportunity to remind the schemers that they will not succeed.
For starters, they lack the clout to be the “movers and shakers” of the movement.
They have no real power base in the congress.
Secondly, they lack the guts to openly talk about their ambition to replace me.
And because of that their burning ambitions remain a secret known to only themselves and their better-halves.
Instead of canvassing for support they spend most of their time parrying inquiries about their ambitions to succeed me.
In the end the political market is confused about their real intentions.
They become political products of dubious credibility.
Sincerely,
ME