By Kabelo Mollo
In last week’s twitter space which I host every Monday we asked the question “How is the RFP government doing & has it kept its promises?”. It was as ever an enlightening and sober conversation. The democratization of punditry and information has made it such that spaces and other such engagements are great learning tools. Even if it’s just to get a sense of people feelings. The conversation was pitched at a high level from the onset and the contributors did not at any point fall off and resort to unsubstantiated rumour or innuendo. One of the great things about our space is the balance that is always retained. We very rarely have extreme views either way and last Monday was no exception.
The speakers in the space as well as those who commented via text all seemed to have similar feelings in that while they supported the current government they felt a distance was emerging owing to a lack of communication. All the speakers seemed to suggest there was a chasm in terms of action and communication. They also agreed that the new government was getting its self in to a bit of a knot as they trudged along new ground for them in terms of the hiring and firing of civil servants. We all feel we were promised something shiny and new by way of revolution, but we all seem to be waiting for said revolution to begin.
In the space I spoke about my favourite world leader Jacinda Ardern and her weekly social media hangouts. The youthful and vibrant outgoing Prime Minister of New Zealand would host a weekly Facebook live session which would help her connect with an engaged audience on her own terms. If the revolution is not going to be televised, then perhaps Prime Minister Matekane might consider streaming it on social media platforms. In that way we can hear his exact thoughts and plans while also getting better understanding of the country’s trajectory. Speaking for myself as a media person it would also make life so much easier as we could then broadcast the live stream to our listeners across the globe for those who potentially aren’t on the social media platforms. I think that’s one way to kick-start the revolution. Sometimes all people need is a reminder that its business unusual.
There was a groundswell of support and a mood change in the city over the last couple of months. In football it’s called “the new manager bounce”. The response the players give to having fresh new ideas and thoughts on the training ground and in the dressing room. The capital city had that same bounce as the new Premier rode in to town in his own luxury cars. The level of optimism was last seen many moons ago and for some like me who are still relatively new to the hustle and bustle of Kingsway it really felt different. I had a few calls from folks in the diaspora who wanted to know whether the bounce was as real “on the ground” as it seemed on digital platforms. I confirmed it was and encouraged them to bring their skills sets home so that Lesotho could benefit from them as their new homes have. Most were delighted and showed intentions of coming to at least test the waters.
The positive sentiment is ebbing a little, if only because the reality remains the reality. Government coffers are empty and economic activity is depressed. However, it strikes me that in the main entrepreneurs-genuine entrepreneurs, not tenderpreneurs – are finding a way to eke out a new path. They are, from my purview trying as best they can to support and sustain themselves in spite of the harsh economic climate. The only issue is that elephant in the room mentioned over and over again regarding communication about the way forward from His Majesty’s government. The guys who have the grit between their teeth will persevere, but I dare say our leadership will do well to do better with the dissemination of information.
I’m not sure how far we are in to the hundred days but we still haven’t seen the performance contracts of the Prime Minister and his cabinet, nor have those in positions of power declared their assets. These seem pretty straightforward and low hanging fruit targets the RFP leadership set for themselves. It doesn’t augur well when we don’t see them happening.
We will keep being an active citizenry that goes about keeping tabs on those who asked to lead us. Let’s hope they in turn will do a better job of keeping the citizenry informed…
