GNU locale implements a gettext-style interface on top of a
catgets-style interface.
This is not needless complexity. It is absolutely vital, because
it enables gettext to run on top of catgets, which
enables Linux International to recommend users use it today.
Rewriting gettext so that it could use either
catgets or some simpler mechanism would not break
anything, but would not reduce complexity either. It might be
worth doing, but it isn't urgent.
In general, simplicity is not enough of a reason to rewrite a program that works. Simplicity is just one desirable thing. It is not overridingly important.
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