Basutoland National Council

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Postage stamps from 1959 related to the BNC

The Basutoland National Council (German roughly: "Nationalrat von Basutoland") was from 1903 to 1965 the representation of the Basotho in the British crown colony of Basutoland .

history

After the Gun War , the British Resident Commissioner recommended a Council of Chiefs in 1884 as a replacement for the nationwide pitso assembly , in which the chiefs could discuss Basotho issues. The Chiefs did not agree to this proposal until 1903 and met for the first time on July 6, 1903, and in 1905 and 1908. The body was recognized by the British in 1910. Annual meetings and a membership of 100 were set. The Paramount Chief appointed 94 of the members, mostly the senior chiefs. The Resident Commissioner, who was also President of the BNC, had a right of veto and appointed another five members, initially mainly educated members of the Basutoland Progressive Association (BPA).

The Paramount Chief Lerotholi wanted the BNC to have a legislative role, but the colonial authorities and other chiefs disagreed. Issues such as the distribution of taxpayers' money, Basotho grievances and views, local conflicts, and customs and customs issues were discussed. The possible connection of Basutoland to the South African Union was unanimously and rejected for several decades. The Laws of Lerotholi were passed, but were considered moral laws, not laws in the strict sense.

In 1913, at the request of the BPA, the BNC introduced Moshoeshoe's Day , which was to commemorate the founding father of the Basotho nation, Moshoeshoe I , every March 12th . In 1926 representatives of BPA and Lekhotla la Bafo applied in vain that the BNC should only consist of half chiefs and half elected representatives.

In 1943 the BNC established nine District Councils in nine districts of Basutoland. There a representative was elected at each pitso who became a member of the BNC. In 1948 the number was increased to two and in 1950 to four representatives per district. Other groups such as the BPA were each awarded a seat, so that in the early 1950s 42 of the 100 members were elected by the people or came from interest groups outside the system of chiefs . In 1954, the BNC rejected a suggestion to use the South African spelling for Sesotho . To this day, different orthographies are used in both countries. From the 1950s onwards, the BNC was given additional legislative functions.

In the 1950s, the BNC initiated reforms and paved the way for the country's independence. In 1958 it accepted a report on constitutional reform and reform of the chiefs system. In 1960 the first free election took place in Basutoland. But only taxpayers were allowed to vote, so almost no women. The Basutoland Congress Party , founded in 1952, won the election with 36.2 percent of the vote, which earned it three quarters of the seats to be allocated by election, but the appointed members of the BNC retained the majority and appointed four members responsible for agriculture, education, local administration and labor were responsible. According to the constitution passed in 1965, the BNC was dissolved and after the elections in 1965 it was replaced by a bicameral system of National Assembly and Senate .

literature

  • Scott Rosenberg, Richard W. Weisfelder, Michelle Frisbie-Fulton: Historical Dictionary of Lesotho. Scarecrow Press, Lanham, Maryland / Oxford 2004, ISBN 978-0-8108-4871-9 , pp. 32-37.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Scott Rosenberg, Richard W. Weisfelder, Michelle Frisbie-Fulton: Historical Dictionary of Lesotho. Scarecrow Press, Lanham, Maryland / Oxford 2004, ISBN 978-0-8108-4871-9 , p. 32.
  2. ^ History of the Lesotho Senate House ( Memento of June 27, 2012 in the Internet Archive ), accessed on March 15, 2013
  3. ↑ a b Scott Rosenberg, Richard W. Weis fields Michelle Frisbie-Fulton: Historical Dictionary of Lesotho. Scarecrow Press, Lanham, Maryland / Oxford 2004, ISBN 978-0-8108-4871-9 , p. 33.
  4. ^ Scott Rosenberg, Richard W. Weisfelder, Michelle Frisbie-Fulton: Historical Dictionary of Lesotho. Scarecrow Press, Lanham, Maryland / Oxford 2004, ISBN 978-0-8108-4871-9 , p. 35.
  5. ^ Scott Rosenberg, Richard W. Weisfelder, Michelle Frisbie-Fulton: Historical Dictionary of Lesotho. Scarecrow Press, Lanham, Maryland / Oxford 2004, ISBN 978-0-8108-4871-9 , p. 36.
  6. ^ Scott Rosenberg, Richard W. Weisfelder, Michelle Frisbie-Fulton: Historical Dictionary of Lesotho. Scarecrow Press, Lanham, Maryland / Oxford 2004, ISBN 978-0-8108-4871-9 , p. 34.
  7. ^ Scott Rosenberg, Richard W. Weisfelder, Michelle Frisbie-Fulton: Historical Dictionary of Lesotho. Scarecrow Press, Lanham, Maryland / Oxford 2004, ISBN 978-0-8108-4871-9 , p. 37.
  8. ^ Scott Rosenberg, Richard W. Weisfelder, Michelle Frisbie-Fulton: Historical Dictionary of Lesotho. Scarecrow Press, Lanham, Maryland / Oxford 2004, ISBN 978-0-8108-4871-9 , p. 93.
  9. ^ Scott Rosenberg, Richard W. Weisfelder, Michelle Frisbie-Fulton: Historical Dictionary of Lesotho. Scarecrow Press, Lanham, Maryland / Oxford 2004, ISBN 978-0-8108-4871-9 , p. 70.