Maseru — There is a saying that secrets of the owl must not be vexed in day light, but what if the cat has already been let out of the bag? The continued diplomacy and romantisizing of the split in the ruling Lesotho Congress for Democracy will not only jeopardize good running of the affairs of the party but also of government.

Unless some people become very serious about the issue, we might have to face another constitutional headache or at least have to resort to the 1997 precedence of a parliamentary coup, which will forever remain a pain inflicting thorn in some political circles in the country.

What is needed right now, not only in the LCD, but also in other parties is a proper conflict management, which will bring a lasting resolution to the problems of the parties, but also to a lasting national peace.

We can not continue to hide behind crisis after crisis when the national development is at stake. We need to progress and pardon Basotho from our selfish self interests. If Basotho are really serious about democracy taking a permanent and deep root in the society, then we must all conform with the rules of the game. Fair play, accepting results and doing it for the ordinary citizens, are some of the fundamental principles that we should always abide by.

We hope, the political leaders will see the need to engage people with expertise in conflict management, to rid off the persisting petty struggles from with our political parties. There are already organizations in the country, like the Lesotho Network for Conflict Management which can be consulted towards this end.

The time when political power was measured by muscles is long gone and now it is time to play our political games respecting the people we claim to serve and not taking our powers beyond our mandates. Lesotho has seen enough of the ugly side of politics and another episode of the horror picture will definitely ruin this nation.

We wish to call upon Prime Minister Mosisili to rise above the petiness of all interests and show that he is a leader, by calling all sides and find a solution. For him to take a lone stand or throw back, whether in words or political fists, will not do this country any good. A true leader always listens and makes sure that his word will be the final word. But taking part in the mish-mash of political belowing will only bring him down to the level of the problem, which will necessitate him to concentrate on coming out of it, rather than on a solution. This call is also to all other political leaders in the country to do the same in their own camps.