An Embarrassment For Lesotho

(MENAFN- The Post) Elsewhere in this issue, we carry a shocking story of how a Sudanese plane was granted a flying certificate without going through the necessary safety checks.

The Lesotho Airworthy Operation Certificate was granted in 2022 without following procedures.

The Directorate on corruption and Economic Offences (DCEO) is now investigating how the Civil Aviation Department granted the certificate without seeing the plane as is standard practice.

When the Civil Aviation director, Mphonyane Moloi, picked wind of the investigation, he hastily deregistered the aeroplane last Friday

Even though Moloi went to great lengths to fix his mistake, it is clear that the damage had already been done.

The registration of the airplane without being subjected to physical checks raises serious questions about our commitment to ethical practices in business.

Any Mosotho who concludes that that such a deal was corrupt to the core and that some humongous amount of money was exchanged to facilitate the transaction would be within their rights to do so.

It is why we find it critical that the DCEO is on Moloi's case.

But beyond our genuine suspicions of wrongdoing, the case has other serious implications for Lesotho

It is yet another thundering confirmation of how we as a people have thoroughly bastardized our systems for corrupt purposes.

It is also a confirmation that we as Basotho have lost all sense of shame. We have thrown away ethics in business and now regard regulations as mere irritants to be side-stepped in the push for quick money.

We no longer have any respect for internal processes.

The integrity of our own governance processes has now been brought into question. That, on its own, is tragic.

The result is that we have become a laughing stock in the region and worldwide

That lack of respect for internal processes can be seen in other sectors of our economy.

Our drivers' licensing system is in shambles. The system has been thoroughly bastardised. The result is that we unleash drivers who are barely able to navigate on our roads.

The results have been clear – the devastating loss of lives on our roads.

The land registration system has sometimes triggered fierce land disputes. That is because we have also allowed some individuals to tamper with the integrity of the system.

Unscrupulous individuals have also tampered with our courts system. Dockets sometimes go missing at the courts, resulting in delays in finishing cases

These are just samples of areas where individuals have been allowed to interfere with our internal systems.

What this means is that the government needs to clean up its own systems. We need a new cadre in the civil service who is loyal and fiercely patriotic.

Civil servants must look at Lesotho's greater good and not self-enrichment.

While it may be tough to get the complete civil servant with the right temperament, the government must instill values of honesty in society from a young age.

Those that do not fit the bill and are manipulating the systems must be booted out

If it is established that one has been involved in some corrupt transaction, they must be brought to justice.

Our systems are however never meant to ensure swift justice.

Lesotho's labour laws appear designed to protect the corrupt and those that are hopelessly incompetent.

The result is that the incompetent and the corrupt can hold on to their jobs, endangering the lives of people while seriously damaging the reputation of the country.

That must stop

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