Africa-Press – Lesotho. THE Basotho Action Party (BAP) was supposed to cause a massive tremor in Lesotho’s politics. We were told the government would be upended by the seismic shift in parliament.
The gullible ones, and there are hordes of those impressionable souls, were delirious. Some BAP leaders were already drooling and unleashing sharp elbows on their comrades.
But it did not take long for the cookie to crumble. The hype gradually died down until it was a whisper. The BAP initially claimed to have a two-trailer haulage truck for 25 MPs, enough to kick Mr Softie out of government.
A few days later there were 22 MPs, which was still enough to hoof Mr Softie from the State House. But then the numbers started draining like a quart of Maluti stuck to the mouth of a man used to Hopose.
Oh, we are now 20. The haulage truck waited. Oops, it looks like we are 19. The other trailer was sent back. Wait, we are 16. The truck was replaced by a bakkie.
Eish, new calculations show that we are on 15. The bakkie drove off. By the end of the week, they had settled on 12 and replaced the bakkie with a Toyota Noah.
When the floor-crossing eventually happened, the BAP had a measly nine MPs, enough to fit into two 4plusOne taxis. In a few weeks, some of those crammed in the taxies would have galloped back to the ABC.
When that happens, the BAP will just need three wheelbarrows for its MPs. The anticipated earthquake turned out to be a burp. The political tempest was a fart soon blown away by the wind.
Pseudo political analysts and so-called commentators are now claiming to have seen this embarrassment coming Mahao’s way. It was obvious, they said. Mahao did not read the mood, they added.
He was played, they say. That is the power of hindsight. After the event, anyone can claim to have seen it coming. Yet they should not pretend to be prophets.
Mahao thought he had 25 MPs because they had promised to join him. He is just a victim of dishonest nincompoops. Men and women who cannot honour their word.
Mahao didn’t miscalculate but was misled. Some of those laughing at him had sworn that they are with him. You are naïve if you are shocked by this deception.
It’s part of our culture. We say ‘yes’ when we mean ‘no’. We indicate left when we are turning right. You see this in business, politics, relationships and negotiations.
That is why binding agreements are treated like minor inconveniences. It explains why our courts are choked by civil cases that should be resolved by simple meetings. Ea Ntate! Ea ‘Mme! All the while cursing under our breaths and plotting horror.
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