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REMARKS BY HER
EXCELLENCY MOLELEKENG E. RAPOLAKI ON THE OCCASION OF THE CELEBRATION
OF THE 38TH ANNIVERSARY OF LESOTHO’S INDEPENDENCE |
(FOR
OCTOBER 4, 2004)
Excellencies,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Fellow countrymen,
Before I begin my remarks, may we observe a moment of silence in
memory of the Minister of Public Works and Transport, Honorable
Mofelehetsi Salemone Moerana who passed away on September 8, 2004.
May his soul rest in peace! Thank you.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The purpose of today’s occasion is to celebrate the birth of the
Basotho nation which gained independence from the British on the
October 4, 1966.
Since then, we have made considerable developmental progress.
Nonetheless, we still have some major hurdles to overcome before we
can attain our national vision, that of poverty eradication through
economic growth and wealth creation. The key hurdles include:
limited and underdeveloped physical infrastructure, inaccessible and
limited resources such as capital and land, and an underdeveloped
private sector for which the Government is engaging the World Bank
to assist in the formulation of the strategies needed to develop it.
Through the years, we embarked on a long journey in search for
political stability, economic prosperity and development. It is our
great pleasure to inform you that today we are on a steady path to
attain the outlined objectives, particularly with regard to
political stability, peace and security.
With the success of the May 2002 elections in Lesotho, we witnessed
the ushering in of a new era of democratic dispensation free of
instability, as was the case in 1998. The new Mixed Member
Proportion electoral model has indeed addressed our long-festering
political problems. The country is now focused on achieving its
developmental goals at the center of which is poverty reduction
through creation of employment opportunities and income generation.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The African Growth and Opportunity Act marked the dawn of a new
relationship between the US and Sub-Saharan African countries. The
legislation, which offers duty and quota free access to goods from
eligible countries to the US market, has had a tremendous impact on
our economies. In Lesotho, the benefits accrued from this
arrangement have trickled down to the grassroots level of our
society. Employment grew from 20,600 locals in March 2001 to
approximately 50,000 in 2004, thereby making the private sector the
largest employer since our independence. The passing of the AGOA
Acceleration Act of 2004 has, therefore, brought hope to our country
and people. It is expected to accelerate the development of
Lesotho’s economy whose landscape has seen positive changes since
implementation of the first Bill. To this end, I wish to take this
opportunity, on behalf of the Government and people of Lesotho, to
once again thank each and every one who worked tirelessly to make
this possible. To mention but a few, President Bush’s
Administration, the US Congress (House of Representatives and
Senate), the African Ambassadors Group, and the AGOA 3 Action
Committee chaired by the Whitaker Group.
It will be recalled that on May 6, 2004, President George W. Bush
announced a list of 16 countries eligible for assistance under the
Millennium Challenge Account, for which Lesotho was selected. It is
an honor for our country to have been selected particularly on the
criteria based on values that we as Basotho dearly uphold. The
landmarks of these are the prevailing peace and stability,
accountable, good and democratic governance, respect for the rule of
law, human rights and fundamental freedom.
Our selection is, therefore, a challenge and an encouragement to
continue on the path towards the consolidation of democracy. It also
probes us to scale up implementation of policies that will lead our
country into an era of sustainable economic growth and poverty
eradication. We strongly believe that the MCA assistance will put us
on a firm footing towards sustainable growth. On this note, the
Government and people of Lesotho wholeheartedly commend the US
Government for this noble initiative. We hope Congress will allocate
adequate resources to support the eligible countries’ proposals
currently under preparation.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
In our quest to achieve sustainable development, investing in human
resources has been one of the priorities of the Government. The
introduction of Free Primary Education in 2000 underscored the
Lesotho Government’s commitment to ensure that at least all people
have access to basic education, but more importantly that they will
attain levels which are essential for societal transformation. This
means Government is faced with the challenge of accommodating the
primary leaving students into secondary/high school education
system. We are pleased that the US Government through USAID has
undertaken to support education and training for herd boys in
Lesotho. This will in the long-run enhance gender equality which
Government has declared as one of the priority areas for a
sustainable development.
It is worth mentioning that there is a dark cloud, however, that
obscures Government development efforts and also undermines the
achievements so far made. This is the HIV/AIDS pandemic. The disease
ravages indiscriminately the economically productive population
throughout villages, leaving a trail of orphans in its path. The
disease constitutes one of the major challenges for our nation.
Since declaring HIV/AIDS a national disaster, various measures have
been undertaken to control and manage its spread. While Lesotho has
not been included under the President’s Emergency Fund for HIV/AIDS
we wish to applaud the initiative and hope that the US Government
will continue its contribution into other facilities such as the
Regional Programmes and the Global AIDS Fund through which some of
our hard hit countries could qualify for funding. At the national
level, the Government launched a testing campaign led by the Prime
Minister and also inaugurated two testing and counseling clinics
under the support of USAID. Boston University has undertaken to
provide training for health workers as well as fielding of
short-term residential family medicine personnel. There are also
NGOs such as the Clinton Foundation that are going to assist
Government acquire medicines at lower prices.
Noting the interventions currently under implementation as against
the estimated 31 percent HIV infection rate, amongst the adult
population, with its resultant illness, deaths and orphans, it
becomes painfully evident that a lot remains to be done. It is
within this context, therefore, that while I am acknowledging the
support being extended to the Government and people of Lesotho in
the fight against this scourge; I also call upon others to join
hands with us in an integrated and comprehensive manner to win this
battle. Indeed without your support it will be very difficult to
even achieve the millennium development goals which have become part
of our national development goals.
In conclusion, I wish to thank the US Government, the International
and Private Organizations, and individuals who have worked
tirelessly to assist us address the overwhelming challenges facing
our nation. Notably, Patasco River Chapter, Prince George’s County
Chapter, Washington Metropolitan Chapter and Fairfax County Old
Dominion Chapter of the Links, Incorporated, the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-Day Saints and the Friends of Lesotho who have
extended their support in the areas of HIV/AIDS, income generating
projects for small community groups and provision of primary school
supplies.
TOASTTo
the cordial bilateral relations that exist between the Kingdom of
Lesotho and the United States of America, the well-being and
prosperity of the Basotho Nation and the Good Health of their
Majesties, the King and Queen!!!
KHOTSO, PULA, NALA
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