By Neo Kolane
The Transformation Resource Centre (TRC) has expressed concern at what it calls ‘the state of affairs that seem to risk the progression of the much needed national reforms in Lesotho’.
TRC also wished commended the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Facilitation Team and welcomed the commitment of Head of Team, retired Deputy Chief Justice Dikgang Moseneke to sustain the momentum and ensure that there is full and comprehensive implementation of the reforms process in Lesotho.
The Centre has urged the government of Lesotho, opposition parties, the National Reforms Authority and civil society organizations in particular, to take pro-active measures and become cognizant of the salience of the constitutional reforms as reiterated by the SADC Head of Facilitation Team in his recent visit to Lesotho.
“Attributable to this, is the fact that Basotho have raised the constitutional issues that are many and diverse and which are of paramount importance to the attainment of the much needed peace and stability in the country.
“It is the Centre’s hope that resonates with that of the citizenry that by the end of August 2021, the reforms will be successfully completed. The Centre further wishes to emphasize strongly that the time has come to hit the ground running through engagement of constitutional and statutory expert drafters by the Secretariat in order to meet the set time frames.
“Aware that the visit of the SADC Head of Facilitation Team is preceded by some behavior analogous to opportunism, the Centre wishes to bring to the attention of all political parties irrespective of whether they are in Parliament or not; further, to all stakeholders currently engaged in the reforms process irrespective of their political inclinations, that there is a much pressing need to realize a common obligation of setting aside all the differences and working towards successful completion of the reforms project,” TRC said in a statement issued on Wednesday.
TRC has further submitted that the reforms should not be pondered an opportune arena to advertise power mongering, but that all stakeholders trusted with this important mandate will extricate the country from the clutches of political instability that has bedeviled it for over 50 odd years of independence. Our wish is for each of us to coordinate efforts.
In conclusion, the Transformation Resource Centre has reiterated its commitment to advocacy for participatory democracy, rule of law, justice, peace, human rights and development.
