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An Action Research Project in Lesotho

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An Action Research Project in Lesotho DEMILITARISING THE MOUNTAIN KINGDOM: AN ACTION RESEARCH PROJECT IN LESOTHO Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Public Administration – Peace Studies Tlohang. W. Letsie Geoff Harris BComm DipEd MEc PhD Supervisor ............................................ Date.............................. Sylvia Kaye BS MS PhD Co-supervisor ...................................... Date............................. April 2018 i DECLARATION I Tlohang Willie Letsie declare that a. The research reported in this thesis is my original research. b. This thesis has not been submitted for any degree or examination at any other university. c. All data, pictures, graphs or other information sourced from other sources have been acknowledged accordingly – both in-text and in the References sections. d. In the cases where other written sources have been quoted, then: 1. The quoted words have been re-written but the general information attributed to them has been referenced: 2. Where their exact words have been used, their writing has been placed inside quotation marks and duly referenced. i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I sincerely express my gratitude and appreciation towards all the people who contributed in different ways towards this project. Special gratitude goes to the following individuals: I will always be indebted to my supervisor, Prof. Geoffrey Harris for his professional yet friendly guidance and mentorship. Words cannot adequately describe his dedication to his work. I have learnt a lot from him, both academically and how to live in peace. Members of my advisory group who despite their busy schedules managed to create time to assist me. My whole family who endured long periods without a husband, father, son and brother, also deserve special thanks. ii ABSTRACT Lesotho is a politically unstable country that is characterised by all kinds of violence – physical, structural and cultural. The country established an army in 1979 and since then the army has contributed in various ways to perpetuating this violence. Annually, Lesotho spends around 5 per cent of its budget on the Ministry of Defence and National Security, with over 80 per cent of this allocation going to the army. The huge expenditure on the army is questionable considering Lesotho’s geographical location. The contribution of the Lesotho army to political conflict and poverty calls for research on ways to address this unenviable situation. Demilitarisation (disbanding the Lesotho Defence Force) appears to be the most viable solution. Using an action research approach, this research engaged in various activities to teach the public about the feasibility and benefits of demilitarisation. Literature shows that there are demilitarised countries and that these countries have generally higher living standards than their militarised counterparts. Some of the non-militarised countries rely on police forces for their security while some have got into security pacts with their stronger neighbours. An examination of the Lesotho’s situation shows the likelihood of considerable resistance to the demilitarisation process. It would therefore be necessary, in the case Lesotho eventually decides to disband its army, that the country comes up with a detailed plan of execution before implementing the demilitarisation process. Various case studies of demilitarised countries provide a good guideline of the changes that would need to be adopted, and the pitfalls that would need to be avoided to achieve demilitarisation. The incumbent prime minister has on a number of occasions voiced his desire to see a non- militarised Lesotho where the tasks currently performed by the army would be taken over by a highly-specialised police force. Lesotho is currently enjoying a lot of international support in its attempts to reform its security sector, in response to recent developments that have seen the army intrude in civilian politics, as well as numerous criminal acts committed by the members of the LDF. The vision of the incumbent prime minister, coupled with the above-stated international support, render this the appropriate time for Lesotho to demilitarise and undergo a fundamental transformation of the national security sector. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION ................................................................................................................................................ i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................................................. ii ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................................................... iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................................................... iv LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ............................................................................................................................... x LIST OF TABLES ........................................................................................................................................... xii LIST OF FIGURES ......................................................................................................................................... xii APPENDICES ............................................................................................................................................... xiii CHAPTER 1 .................................................................................................................................................... 2 INTRODUCTION AND OUTLINE OF RESEARCH PROBLEM ............................................................................. 2 1.1 Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 2 1.2 Background and outline of the problem .......................................................................................... 3 1.3 Research objectives .......................................................................................................................... 5 1.3.1 Objectives ................................................................................................................................ 5 1.4 Scope and limits of the study ........................................................................................................... 5 1.5 Limitations of the study .................................................................................................................... 5 1.6 Theoretical framework ..................................................................................................................... 6 1.7 Research design ................................................................................................................................ 6 1.8 Utilised data collection methods ...................................................................................................... 7 1.9 Research plan ................................................................................................................................... 7 1.10 Thesis outline .................................................................................................................................... 8 1.11 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................................ 9 CHAPTER 2 ..................................................................................................................................................11 PEACE CONCEPTS........................................................................................................................................11 2.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................11 2.2 Conflict ............................................................................................................................................11 2.3 Violence ..........................................................................................................................................13 2.4 Peace ..............................................................................................................................................14 2.5 Peacebuilding .................................................................................................................................15 2.5.1 Peacebuilding: a search for specific goal ............................................................................16 2.5.2 Peacebuilding is a long-term process ..................................................................................17 2.5.3 Peacebuilding involves multiple actors ...............................................................................18 2.5.4 Conditions necessary for peacebuilding .............................................................................20 2.5.5 Challenges to peacebuilding.................................................................................................21 iv 2.6 Culture of peace .............................................................................................................................23 2.7 A ministry of peacebuilding: a potential vehicle for building a culture of peace ...........................25 2.8 Summary and conclusion
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