KEYNOTE ADDRESS BY THE RIGHT HONOURABLE THE PRIME MINISTER, MR PAKALITHA MOSISILI  AT THE LAUNCH OF SMART PARTNERSHIP HUB - MASERU, 8 NOVEMBER 2000.

HIS MAJESTY THE KING

HONOURABLE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE

HONOURABLE SPEAKER OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

HONOURABLE DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

HONOURABLE MINISTERS

HONOURABLE MEMBERS OF THE SENATE

HONOURABLE MEMEBERS OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY

YOUR EXELLENCIES – HEADS OF THE DIPLOMATIC MISSIONS AND INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

HONOURABLE CHAIRMAN OF THE INDEPENDENT ELECTORAL COMMISSION

HONOURABLE CHAIRPERSONS OF THE INDEPENDENT POLITICAL AUTHORITY

GOVERNMENT SECRETARY

SENIOR GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS

BUSINESS AND LABOUR REPRESENTATIVES

VICE CHANCELLOR OF THE NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF LESOTHO

MEDIA REPRESENTATIVES

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN

IT IS MY SINGULAR HONOUR AND PRIVILEGE THIS MORNING TO ADDRESS YOU ON THE LAUNCH OF A SMART PARTNERSHIP HUB IN LESOTHO.

SMART PARTNERSHIP IS BASED ON SHARING VISIONS AND VALUES, ETHICAL COMMITMENT, TRUST, TRANSPARENCY, AND A SENSE OF COMMUNITY AND COOPERATIVE COMPETITION.  DIALOGUE IS ANOTHER SOLID FOUNDATION UPON WHICH THE SMART PARTNERSHIP CONCEPT IS BASED. AND AS WE KNOW, THE DIALOGUE PROCESS IS NOT QUITE NEW IN LESOTHO, AN EXAMPLE OF A SMART PARTNERSHIP DIALOGUE BEING THE DIALOGUE THAT WAS HELD IN 1995, WHERE SPECIFIC THEMES OF DEMOCRACY, STABILITY AND DEVELOPMENT WERE WIDELY DISCUSSED AT A NATIONAL FORUM.   HOWEVER THERE IS NEED TO ADOPT A SMART PARTNERSHIP APPROACH TO DIALOGUE, IN ORDER TO ENHANCE SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN LESOTHO.

AS INDICATED EARLIER BY MINISTER MALIE, LESOTHO HAS PARTICIPATED IN SEVERAL INTERNATIONAL DIALOGUES AND LEARNED A LOT THAT WILL NOW BE APPLIED TO IMPROVE LESOTHO’S SITUATION.  FOLLOWING OUR OWN DIALOGUE IN 1995, IT IS CLEAR THAT THE DIALOGUE APPROACH IS THE BEST PRACTICE IN RESOLVING NATIONAL ISSUES.  THE PRIVATIZATION UNIT WITHIN THE MINISTRY OF FINANCE, THE LESOTHO HIGHLANDS DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY, THE ARMED FORCES, THE POLICE, AND THE INDEPENDENT ELECTORAL COMMISSION ARE SOME OF THE FEW INSTITUTIONS THAT HAVE EXPLOITED THE DIALOGUE APPROACH TO SPEARHEAD NEW PROJECTS AND TO CLARIFY THEIR MANDATES.

THE INTERNATIONAL DIALOGUE PROCESS THAT LESOTHO HAS BEEN A PARTY TO HAS FOCUSSED GENERALLY ON THE FOLLOWING THEMES:

·                   ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT

·                   COOPERATING TO COMPETE

·                    MANAGING TECHNOLOGY

·                   ROLE OF REGULATIONS

·                   MANAGING ECONOMIC RECOVERY, AND FINALLY

·                    MANAGING LIBERALIZATION.

IN ORDER TO CONCRETIZE THE PRACTICE OF THE SMART PARTNERSHIP APPROACH, WE ARE, TODAY, LAUNCHING A SMART PARTNERSHIP HUB IN LESOTHO, WHICH WILL, AMONG OTHERS:

·        DOCUMENT EXAMPLES OF THE SMART PRACTICES;

·        ENCOURAGE FORMATION OF NEW ONES;

·         AND POPULARIZE THE SMART PARTNERSHIP CONCEPT AND PRACTICE, AND ITS ATTRIBUTES TOWARDS THE DEVELOPMENT AND ATTAINMENT OF A STABLE, PROSPEROUS AND SELF-RELIANT LESOTHO.

THE HUB WILL NOT ATTEMPT TO REPLACE EXISTING CONSULTATIVE STRUCTURES BUT WILL ENDEAVOUR TO ENSURE CLARITY OF PURPOSE FOR SUCH STRUCTURES, EXAMINE THEIR CONTRIBUTION AND, WHERE NECESSARY, PROPOSE INNOVATIVE IMPROVEMENTS TO ENSURE CONSCIOUS EFFORT TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE ATTTAINMENT OF A COMPETETIVE AND PROGRESSIVE LESOTHO.

THE HUB, THEREFORE, WILL EMBRACE THE PRINCIPLES OF SMART PARTNERSHIP SUCH AS THE FORMATION OF A LOCAL INTERFACE WITH SIMILAR REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL INITIATIVES.   IT WILL PROVIDE FOR A SMART, FAST TRACK RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GOVERNMENT, PRIVATE SECTOR, LABOUR, ACADEMIA AND CIVIL SOCIETY IN GENERAL. 

THE CONSULTATIVE RELATIONSHIP ENSURES EFFECTIVE AND TIMELY IMPLEMENTATION OF NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT POLICIES AND PROGRAMMES, WHICH ARE JOINTLY AGREED AND SHARED BY GOVERNMENT AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS.  THIS IS ACHIEVED THROUGH A DIRECT AND CO-ORDINATED PROCESS, INVOLVING REGULAR INTERACTIONS, FEEDBACK, ACCOUNTABILITY AND CONTRIBUTION BY ALL ON A MUTUAL, WIN-WIN, CROSS-FERTILIZATION RELATIONSHIP.

THE STRUCTURAL FRAMEWORK OF THE HUB WAS WORKED OUT BY THE NATIONAL STREERING COMMITTEE, MADE UP OF SENIOR GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS, PRIVATE SECTOR, LABOUR, CIVIL SOCIETY AND ACADEMIA REPRESENTATIVES.

THE HUB WILL, AS A START, ESTABLISH REGIONAL OFFICES IN LERIBE, QUTHING AND THABA-TSEKA AS PART OF AN EFFORT TO ENSURE THAT ALL STAKEHOLDERS RECEIVE AND UNDERSTAND THE SMART PARTNERSHIP CONCEPT AND PRACTICE, AS IT AFFECTS THEIR LIVES.

IN CONCLUSION, I MUST EXPRESS MY OPTIMISM THAT ALL THE RELEVANT STAKEHOLDERS WILL SEIZE THE OPPORTUNITY THRUST UPON THEM BY THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THIS NATIONAL HUB ON SMART PARTNERSHIP.   LESOTHO TODAY AND TOMORROW NEEDS ALL OF US TO UNITE AND TOGETHER, TACKLE THE CHALLENGE OF DEVELOPING OUR COUNTRY AND HER PEOPLE.  THE ONUS LIES SQUARELY WITH ALL OF US TO ACCEPT THIS CHALLENGE.  WE CANNOT AFFORT OTHERWISE.

IT IS, THEREFORE, WITH A LOT OF PLEASURE THAT I DECLARE THE LESOTHO SMART PARTNERHSIP HUB OFFICIALLY LAUNCHED.

I THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION.