Chapter three: Democracy and good political governance overpopulation, lack of arable land and a high level of unemployment. Furthermore, historical dependency on income from migrant labour has come at considerable social cost and has led to considerable sociopolitical instability; rural societies are bereft of men (especially fathers), thus creating rural societies of women, children and old people. 54 143. Poverty and a lack of alternative job opportunities, apart from those in the public sector, have produced political elites that consider politics as a survival contest; election defeat consigns one to the ignominy of unemployment and a qualitative loss of livelihood and status – hence the bitterness of intraparty conflict, the elite’s vicious struggle for power and the consequent negative impact on national stability. Interstate conflict 144. The geostrategic realities of the Kingdom of Lesotho, which is completely surrounded by the Republic of South Africa, a predominant political, economic and military power in Africa, certainly rule out violent interstate conflict between the two countries. The CSAR therefore focuses on threats to national security and stability generated by cross-border and international organised crime. Such crime includes stock theft, car theft, fraud, drug trafficking, human trafficking and the proliferation of arms. However, since Lesotho and South Africa cooperate in combating crossborder criminal activity, this issue has not been a source of interstate conflict. Assessment of conflict management institutions and practices 145. The CSAR deplores the loss of Lesotho’s traditional conflict management practices and institutions and suggests that efforts be made to restore and revive them. In particular, the traditional role of chiefs in preventing and managing conflicts in their communities must be enhanced. 146. While the CSAR recognises the positive contribution of regional and continental bodies, particularly the SADC, in managing Lesotho’s intrastate conflicts, much still needs to be done to maintain peace and stability in the region. The member states within the SADC should cultivate the political will to apply regional principles and procedures to the management of conflict. Further, it is crucial for the SADC to develop and strengthen member states’ institutions for the purpose of early warning and conflict management. ii. Findings of the CRM 147. The CSAR conceives of conflict as an inevitable aspect of human interaction. The CRM shares this concept of conflict, but expands it further in order to fully appreciate the dynamics of conflict in Lesotho. Conflict is very much a part of the normal politics of the state; it is ubiquitous, and it is continuous. Since conflict is a part of the normal politics of the state, the process of governance may be seen essentially as one of conflict management. Governing a state is thus basically the continual effort to deal with ordinary conflicts among groups and their demands that arise as society plays its role in normal politics. 148. In this sense, political conflict is the interaction of different and opposing perceptions, aspirations and goals. It is when conflict remains unmanaged, is mismanaged or is exploited by entrepreneurs