VZCZCXRO1106
RR RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHJO RUEHRN
DE RUEHMR #0263/01 2121038
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 311038Z JUL 09
FM AMEMBASSY MASERU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4299
INFO RUCNSAD/SADC COLLECTIVE
RUEHMR/AMEMBASSY MASERU 4728

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MASERU 000263 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV LT
SUBJECT: OPPOSITION LEADERS EXPRESS FRUSTRATION ON POLITICAL IMPASSE 
 
REF: MASERU 257 
 
MASERU 00000263  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary: Charge d' Affaires (CDA), met with the leader 
of the opposition Basotho National Party (BNP),  Major General 
Justin Metsing Lekhanya on July 28, and subsequently met with 
the leader of the opposition Alliance of Congress Parties (ACP), 
Kelebone Maope on July 29. Both leaders are leery of the 
intentions of the governing Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD) 
and the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) regarding a 
resolution to the current political impasse, expressing a lack 
of confidence in the IEC and lashing out at the LCD for being 
arrogant and intransigent. End summary. 
 
¶2. (SBU) Lekhanya stated that although his party wants a 
peaceful resolution of the dispute over allocation of 
proportional seats, the issue has taken too long and it is time 
for donor countries to exert influence on the GOL. He warned 
that their supporters may lose patience and become difficult to 
control. Lekhanya expressed concern that the IEC deliberately 
"contaminated" the Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) electoral 
model during the 2007 snap elections and this has led to the 
current precarious situation. He observed that it was a pity 
that they have tried using peaceful means through dialogue and 
the courts of law but all have failed as a result of the 
arrogance of the governing party.  The BNP leader stressed that 
even if elections similar to the Lesotho 2007 snap elections 
take place frequently, they do not foster democracy at all; 
periodic elections are a necessary but not sufficient element of 
a democracy. He asserted that the current Parliament is 
illegitimate due to the improper allocation of proportional 
seats. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) CDA expressed USG concern about potential political 
instability or violence the country may face, which would have 
severe adverse effects on Lesotho's economy. When asked by the 
CDA about the possibility of the IEC response to their 
ultimatum, Lekhanya said they do not expect any reaction. He 
mentioned that opposition leaders were planning a protest march 
to the Houses of Parliament and IEC offices on July 29. He 
emphasized that once this starts, it will be a rolling mass 
action of stay aways and protests until there is a solution. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Lekhanya also accused the governing party lack of 
transparency and accountability in disbursing state funds and 
grants by donors.  He stated that as a member of the Public 
Accounts Committee in parliament, he was aware that the 
government's financial records are appalling and pathetic but 
the LCD wants to hide them. He added that the government 
collects enough revenue to provide for Lesotho's population but 
the public do not know where the revenue is spent. The BNP 
leader concluded by pointing out that the governing party has 
exacerbated the political crisis by its arrogant statements on 
state radio and television, citing Masire's statement about the 
attitude of the governing party regarding the failed political 
dialogue. Lekhanya expressed hope that the stay-away will end 
quickly and force the government to come to the negotiation 
table within a few days. 
 
¶5. (SBU)  At a separate meeting with Kelebone Maope, leader of 
the Alliance of Congress Parties (ACP), on July 29, CDA 
complimented Maope for writing an article which gave a clear 
background of the events that have led to the current political 
impasse and which also explained the MMP model thoroughly.  CDA 
also informed him that the USG is concerned about the impasse, 
but expressed hope that a peaceful resolution can be achieved, 
avoiding political. Maope noted that opposition political 
leaders are also worried about the current situation but 
stressed that they have been patient for two years. He stated 
that Masire agrees with opposition parties in their pursuit to 
ensure that the National Assembly is properly constituted.  ACP 
leader emphasized that they recognize and accept that the LCD 
won the 2007 elections but they are dismayed by the 
intransigence of the governing party regarding the proper 
allocation of proportional seats. He also lashed out at the IEC 
for claiming to have applied the electoral law correctly but 
without allocating the seats properly.  He said it was a double 
blow for the opposition parties to deal with a questionable IEC 
and an arrogant government. 
 
¶6.  (SBU) Responding to a question by the Chargi about the next 
course of action by the Southern African Development Community 
(SADC), Maope indicated that they have no confidence in SADC 
leaders because some of them behave like the leadership in 
Lesotho. He added that he was convinced that the government will 
rely on the police and army to solve the current political 
dispute.  Regarding the stay-away, Maope expressed pessimism 
that the work-stoppage will have the desired impact of 
opposition parties. He pointed out that since Lesotho is a poor 
country, even if people support the opposition, not going to 
work could have adverse effects on their livelihoods. Maope 
accused the GOL of taking advantage of poor people by 
impoverishing them deliberately in order to control them. He 
observed that foreign aid could be used to repress opposition 
 
MASERU 00000263  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
supporters and wondered whether international donors were 
deliberately nourishing a dictatorship. 
 
¶7. (SBU)  Maope said the only way forward is to ensure that the 
proper parliamentarians are given their seats and, as a separate 
issue, use a monetary settlement for those members of parliament 
who were brought in erroneously. If there is no settlement, he 
said the problem will not go away, the legitimacy of parliament 
will continue to be questioned, and voter apathy in the next 
general elections will be high.  He also stated that the unity 
of purpose necessary for development will no longer be there, 
and the provision of services will decline or collapse due to 
the fact that opposition supporters are part of the civil 
service; they will not regard the governing party as legitimate 
and there will be conflict. He concluded by asserting that 
Masire was well placed for resolving the dispute over seats but 
the LCD ignored him. He also stressed that the right of freedom 
of assembly was being violated, citing the GOL's refusal to 
allow international experts on the MMP model to come to Lesotho 
to have an intellectual discussion on the electoral mode. He 
warned that there is an emerging dictatorship in Lesotho and 
appealed that donors should intervene before it is too late. 
 
¶8. (SBU)  Comment: The opposition party leaders are clearly very 
frustrated by the current political situation.  Some local 
analysts are of the view that unlike previous successful 
protests, the planned stay-away may be only partially observed, 
judging by the very small number of opposition supporters who 
turned up at the protest march to the IEC offices and houses of 
parliament on July 29.  Rumors circulating in the diplomatic 
corps forum suggest that the stay-away was a unilateral decision 
by the largest opposition party, the All Basotho Convention 
(ABC) and that it caused friction among the larger group of 
opposition parties.  All of these latest developments may be an 
indication that neither the governing LCD nor the opposition 
parties have gauged the proper mood of the ordinary people. End 
Comment. 
 
¶9.  (SBU) Bio note on Maope: He is a former Attorney General in 
the military government which ruled from 1986 to 1993.  Maope 
was heavily involved in drafting the current constitution. He 
became Law and Constitutional Minister in the Basotho Congress 
Party (BCP) administration from 1993 to 1997, and then was 
successively Foreign Minister, Finance Minister, and Deputy 
Prime Minister in the LCD government from 1997 to 2002.   In 
2002, he resigned and formed the Lesotho People's Congress (LPC) 
which merged with the Basotho African Congress (BAC) in 2007 to 
form the ACP. During a recent press interview, Maope revealed 
that Prime Minister Mosisili has been trying to persuade him to 
re-join the LCD. Maope is reputed to be a principled and 
determined man who commands request in his home constituency. 
Local observers believe that is the reason Mosisili wants him to 
re-join the governing party. 
 
¶10. (SBU) Bio note on Lekhanya:  Lekhanya, a career soldier and 
former army commander turned politician, became head of 
Lesotho's military government when the BNP administration was 
overthrown by a military junta in 1986. In the aftermath of the 
1998 political crisis, Lekhanya was elected as president of the 
party he once deposed from power. During his career as a 
soldier, he underwent military training in the U.S., Israel, 
U.K. and Taiwan. The BNP is currently the third largest 
political party in Lesotho, following the LCD and the ABC. 
POWER