VZCZCXRO8924
RR RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHJO RUEHRN
DE RUEHMR #0394/01 3081601
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 041601Z NOV 09
FM AMEMBASSY MASERU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4463
INFO RUCNSAD/SADC COLLECTIVE
RUEHMR/AMEMBASSY MASERU 4897

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MASERU 000394 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/S 
STATE PASS MCC 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV KMCA LT
SUBJECT: OPPOSITION LEADER WANTS MORE SAY IN HOW MCC MONEY IS SPENT 
 
REF: A. Maseru 388  B. Maseru 376 
 
MASERU 00000394  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
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Summary 
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¶1.  On Friday, October 30, Ambassador Rob Nolan met with 
Kelebone Maope, Member of Parliament and leader of opposition 
political party the Lesotho People's Congress.  Maope expressed 
concern that poor citizens of Lesotho will be exploited under 
the current version of the Land Bill (ref A).  He felt that the 
Millennium Challenge Compact didn't adequately take into account 
the desires of the common people of Lesotho.  Maope claimed that 
people don't realize the government of Lesotho proposed the 
Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) activities.  He said, "we 
look on MCA as an American project."  The Ambassador agreed to 
address the issue of America's role in Compact implementation 
when he meets with opposition leaders on Thursday, November 5. 
Finally, Maope voiced concern that a new Public Meetings Act is 
being debated in Parliament as a way to silence public debate 
about the Land Bill. 
 
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Strong cultural attachment to land adds layer of difficulty to 
Land Bill process 
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¶2.  Maope conceded that Lesotho does need land reform.  However, 
for the people of Lesotho, land is a cultural issue which is 
particularly sensitive given the history of the Kingdom.  When 
Dutch settlers arrived in the area, they gradually encroached on 
Basotho land, and the country was only able to keep its 
sovereignty by becoming a protectorate of Britain.  The lands in 
South Africa that the Kingdom lost are still known as the 
"Conquered Territories."  Under the constitution, the King is 
the trustee and caretaker of the land.  Maope worries that under 
the new law, the poor would lose the protection of the King.  He 
thinks that many would sell their land for the immediate 
monetary gain, and would then have nowhere to go and no economic 
assets.  For those who choose to keep their land, he is 
concerned that they would be over-burdened by new taxes that 
they cannot afford to pay. 
 
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Opposition would like more influence in how money is spent 
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¶3.  Maope would like to see donor money spent on improving land, 
building proper settlements, and encouraging urban planning, 
instead of going toward land reform.  He insinuated that the 
people of Lesotho were not adequately consulted during the 
conception stage of the compact; instead, the government of 
Lesotho chose the compact activities.  He actually went so far 
as to request "re-orientation" of MCA money, and further 
consultations so that a consensus can be reached between the GOL 
and opposition parties.  He mentioned several times during the 
meeting that certain issues, like soil erosion, are not being 
addressed, implying that there are other, more important 
priorities which have been ignored in favor of the Land Bill. 
He also stated that the Parliament's request for input from the 
public between now and November 12 is "not a genuine effort" to 
get feedback. 
 
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Public Meetings Act an attempt to silence debate? 
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¶4.  Parliament is currently considering a Public Meetings Act 
(ref B).  Maope strongly feels that the act is connected to the 
very vigorous public debate on the Land Bill.  He thinks that 
because of this discussion, GOL decided that it needed to curb 
public meetings about political issues.  If the new bill passes, 
organizations (with certain exceptions) will be required to 
request permission to hold public meetings.  Currently, the only 
requirement is to inform authorities that a meeting is being 
planned. 
 
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Post's reaction and comment 
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¶5.  Ambassador Nolan repeated the message that the United States 
is not pushing the Land Bill legislation, and if Lesotho is not 
ready for land reform, we respect that.  He stressed that the 
U.S. and Lesotho are strong friends, and understand that this is 
a very culturally sensitive issue.  We continue to encourage 
this healthy political debate, which is one of the few truly 
important political issues to be debated in Lesotho over the 
last two years.  Ambassador Nolan reminded Maope that the 
 
MASERU 00000394  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
overall objective of MCC activities is to reduce poverty, and 
while a Land Bill is required to create a legal framework for 
MCA land activities, if Lesotho isn't ready, the land activity 
can be canceled.  While we welcome the meetings that we have 
been holding with opposition leaders, we are very aware that 
this issue is the most popular "political football" of the 
moment, and will continue to be misconstrued purposefully if it 
can help opposition politicians to gain traction with their 
constituencies.  Post will continue to track this situation and 
will adjust our public diplomacy strategy as needed to deal with 
any political fallout of this sensitive issue. 
NOLAN