SENIOR GOL OFFICIAL QUITS CABINET, FORMS NEW PARTY

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MASERU 000507 SIPDIS SIPDIS FOR INR/B AND AF/S E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/11/2016 TAGS: PGOV KDEM ECON LT SUBJECT: SENIOR GOL OFFICIAL QUITS CABINET, FORMS NEW PARTY MASERU 00000507 001.2 OF 002 CLASSIFIED BY: W. Patrick Murphy, Charge d'Affaires, EXEC , STATE. REASON: 1.4 (b),(d) ¶1. (C) Summary: Senior GOL official Thomas Thabane, a veteran of successive Lesotho governments since independence, sent shockwaves throughout Maseru on October 9 by resigning from the governing LCD party and quitting his post as Minister of Communications. Thabane announced the formation of a new opposition party (the "All Basotho Convention"),taking at least 15 LCD MPs with him, and expressed intent to challenge the LCD in 2007 national elections. Thabane, who slammed the LCD for losing its "vision, direction and mandate," has made a calculated move that could be a significant blow to the governing party if he woos other members of the cabinet and additional MPs. If the new party fails to maintain momentum, however, it could quickly become another footnote in a long history of party splintering. End Summary. The ABCs of Lesotho Politics -------------- ¶2. (U) In a stunning political development that could alter the landscape for Lesotho's national elections in 2007, veteran senior government official Thomas Thabane resigned from the GOL cabinet on October 9 and quit the ruling Lesotho Congress for Democracy (LCD) party. Thabane, who abandoned his most recent portfolio as Minister of Communications, Science, and Technology, announced the formation of a new opposition party called the "All Basotho Convention" (ABC) with the intention of challenging the LCD next year for control of Parliament and the Government of Lesotho. ¶3. (SBU) Thabane was a senior GOL minister, generally regarded as the fourth ranking member of Prime Minister Mosisili's government. Thabane explained in a press conference on October 9 that he decided to resign from his post because the LCD government had lost its "vision, direction and mandate given to it by the Besotho people." He added that the LCD has neglected to implement campaign promises and failed to translate rhetoric into action. The former minister stressed that although Lesotho is not a resource-poor country, the LCD government has mismanaged resources, failed to curtail corruption, and allowed the gap between rich and poor to grow. Calculated Move, Miscalculated Timing? -------------- -------------- ¶4. (SBU) Thabane's resignation, rumored for several weeks, followed his successful effort a day earlier to boycott a special party leadership conference that PM Mosisili had convened. Among the fifteen renegade LCD Members of Parliament who participated in the boycott, and who have subsequently joined Thabane's new ABC party, was Lehlohonolo Ts'ehlana, an MP recently forced out of the LCD party in response to his accusations of cabinet-level corruption. ¶5. (C) Charge spoke privately on October 11 with several senior Ministers at a German Embassy-hosted reception in Maseru. The Ministers were in general unfazed by Thabane's dramatic departure from the LCD, but allowed that they were uncertain whether the new party would attract significant numbers of MPs and voters. One nonplussed senior GOL official expressed bafflement over the timing of Thabane's resignation. "Had Thabane made his move four months ago (and not so close to 2007 elections)," said the official, "he could have taken at least a half dozen ministers with him." ¶6. (C) Embassy's visiting Defense and Army Attachis met on October 11 with Lealimo Makakole, acting Director General of the National Security Service (NSS),Lesotho's principal law enforcement and intelligence gathering organization. Makakole expressed some concern that the new ABC party would attract individuals, particularly undisciplined youth, who are proponents of using violence as a political tool. She did not, however, offer any evidence that Thabane and his supporters had such plans. Bio: A Senior Official Since Independence -------------- -------------- ¶7. (U) Thomas Thabane is veteran civil servant and senior politician who has participated in every government since independence. He served in the Basotho National Party (BNP) administration for 20 years, from 1966 to 1986, rising to Principal Secretary in several ministries, including Foreign Affairs. Following a 1986 coup, he joined the government as Secretary to the Military Council and later as Foreign Minister. SIPDIS MASERU 00000507 002.2 OF 002 He fled into self-imposed exile in neighboring South Africa following another military coup in 1991, but returned after democracy was restored in 1993 to serve as a special advisor to the Prime Minister in the Basotholand Congress Party (BCP) administration. After the LCD subsequently emerged as a splinter group from the BCP and won the 1998 elections, Thabane again served as Foreign Minister. He held that portfolio for three years until a 2002 appointment as Minister of Home Affairs and Public Safety. He has served as Minister of Communications, Science, and Technology since 2004. Comment: A Defection with Uncertain Implications -------------- -------------- -------------- ¶6. (C) Lesotho politics are famously fractious and a plethora of opposition parties have failed to rattle the governing LCD, which as the only political party with broad national reach holds an overwhelming majority within Parliament and has controlled government since 1998. Tom Thabane, however, enjoys considerable popularity among LCD youth members and common Basotho. His defection could be a significant blow to the LCD if his new organization succeeds in wooing other members of the GOL cabinet and additional MPs. If the new party fails to maintain momentum, however, it could quickly become another historical footnote. Parliament reconvenes on October 13 and early discussions there will likely determine the implications of this latest in a long history of Lesotho political party splintering. End Comment. MURPHY