PFD bids power goodbye
’MANTŠANG KHUTLISI
MASERU – LongtimePopular Front for Democracy leader, Advocate Lekhetho Rakuoane, is going home, finally. The PFD, which was established in 1990 and legally registered in 1991, has played a significant role in Lesotho’s political landscape.
The party’s inaugural leader was Rakali Khitšane who was elected in 1991, becoming a notable figure in national political history. In 2000 Rakuoane was elected official leader of the party, deputized by Khitšane.
Speaking to Public Eye, PFD founding publicity secretary, Nthakeng Pheello Selinyane, said the ranks of the party that Rakuoane led were mostly populated by communists’ middle class intelligentsia who were active in various sectors of civil society – especially the unions as well as human rights professional policies.
He said the PFD was conceived as a front of alliance of independent organizations of independent social and other persuasions.
Selinyane said Khitšane was epically identified to lead the front in its nascent years, a full decade from 1991 to 2001.
Khitšane came from the Transformation Resource Centre (TRC) which was known for its radical stance on human rights, an intermittent confrontation with repressive regimes and its local and global appeal as a brand as well as credibility.
“This brought a lot of weight to the stature of the party and its projection because the likes of Rakuoane, after succeeding Khitšane, Professor Nqosa Mahao and others who were in the academy used to attract criticism, sometimes by non-lesser than the acidic tongue of Candi Ramainoane,” Selinyane continued.
The people who were the ideological flag barriers of the party could easily attract the rejection against the background of collapse of communism on a world scale being the products of the communists’ party though it operated under ground and were deployed in various sectors of society; their identity was unmistakable and they were often singled out for being communist which was held out as a beast that eats children.
The choice of Khitšane, Selinyane continued, should not be seen as a fronting because “as you will have known the TRC has always had a very radical outlook of human rights representation speaking truth to power as well as standing up to the marginalized and the oppressed.”
Khitšane blended very well with the radical urge of the party, and Rakuoane’s transition was made easy through his participation in 1998 to 2002 which gave them the new electoral model and heavily boosted the fortunes of the party in terms of visibility as well as acceptability across the spectrum of our ranks.
Rakuoane who has led the PFD for an entire 25 years made the startling announcement that he will leave the party leadership a week ago.
Startling because such an announcement is not perceived African in some quarters!
African leaders die on the post continent-wide.
The PDF has been known for advocating for democratic reforms as well as addressing the political and socio-economic challenges faced by the country.
In an interview with Rakuoane, veteran politician indicated that he has led the party for 25 years during which time he has made tremendous change pushing many initiatives in parliament such as Private Members’ Bill, the Ninth Amendment, Stock Theft Bill as well as the several motions such as the establishment of Ethics and Code of Conduct Committee.
Asking who will take over as he retires, Rakuoane said party elections on April 11 the PFD will decide on the new leader. He indicated that the current politics is driven by money and not principles, saying people are bought to join political.
Rakuoane could not predict the PFD’s future, saying they lack resources and money, but indicated that they will have to put their views as well as ideas as they did in the past to chart a way forward.
“We are a poor a party of the poor,” he said.
Rakuoane’s leadership, he adds, focused on good governance where he pushed for an end to corruption and for the establishment of accountable and efficient government structures. He has track record pushing for policies that improved economic conditions in the country, focusing on job creation, poverty reduction as well as improving access to basic services like education and healthcare to name but a few.
Moreover, the PFD under Rakuoane’s leadership supported gender equality and social justice initiatives, ensuring that marginalized groups in Lesotho receive attention in national policies.
Rakuoane’s career reflects a deep commitment to public service and significant influence on Lesotho’s political and legal frameworks over the decades.
Advocate Rakuoane is a prominent Mosotho politician born in 1960. He is known for his significant contributions to Lesotho’s political landscape.
He holds both Bachelor of Arts in Law (BA Law) and Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degrees from the National University of Lesotho 1982 and 1985 respectively.
Rakuoane attended Holy Names High School where he finished in 1978. Throughout his career, Rakuoane has held several positions such. He was Minister of Law and Justice from October 2021 to November 2022.
He further served as Minister of Tourism, Environment and Culture where he worked to promote the country’s tourism sector, alongside efforts to preserve and enhance its cultural heritage and environmental policies.
He also served as a Minister of Home Affairs where he served in contributing to the country’s internal affairs as well as immigration policies.
In addition, Rakuoane served as a Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly from 2012 to 2015 where he held a crucial role in legislative proceedings.
In 2020, Rakuoane sponsored a successful Private Member Constitutional Amendment Act aimed at reforming parliamentary procedures, specifically addressing the dissolution of parliament following a non-confidence vote.
Rakuoane has been a vocal advocate for social justice and political reform, focusing on fostering political stability and promoting inclusive policies that benefit Basotho.
