GOVT DOES NOT CARE ABOUT ORDINARY FOLK

GOVERNMENT acceding to and legitimising supplementary top-up fees in the face of free primary education was not surprising but of earthquake proportions was government telling public sector unions to show them where to get the money to finance the 9.15 per cent salary adjustment they were demanding.

Given the perspective that rolling out of free primary education (FPE) was not voluntary but ordered by the courts, it is conclusive that government has never been enthusiastic of and about implementing this constitutional directive in the first instance.

As it were the implementation of FPE was also not properly designed and executed, such as doing proper costing and budgeting, hence it has been problematic from day one. The budgetary shortfalls, since government deliberately under budgeted the costs, forced many schools to demand top-up fees in order to keep classroom doors open, a move that had been vehemently opposed by government until last month (August) when it suddenly endorsed and authorised schools to charge top-up fees.

But even more interesting when interrogating government’s posture apropos FPE is that, by and large, funding of the programme has consistently been outsourced to the European Union (EU). As I see it, considering government’s apparent original opposition to FPE, as attested to by the court action by ex-miners, coupled to outsourcing its funding to the EU, its initial position on top-up fees, although in line with the Constitution, had always been a contradiction in terms. This is for the simple reason that having abdicated its responsibility of funding the programme, government’s opposition to top-up fees was mystifying and could not be explained more so owing to its traditional hostility towards the Constitution.

But just as surprising is a change of tune by the Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT), which hitherto had been strongly advocating for top-up fees. Whether or not to spite government, SNAT’s argument now is that free primary education is a constitutional imperative and, therefore, should not be interfered with by adding top-up fees. How this will pan out is a matter of conjecture. But what is certain is that this does not augur well for the indigent children of ordinary folk who cannot afford private schools that are home to the well heeled of society, including government big wigs responsible for mapping toxic policies for the nation.

Turning to the subject of government telling social partners to show them the money that will fund the salary adjustment they are demanding conjures up a picture of a government that does not care. I am still not sure if government is deadly serious or is merely buying time. Or better still, the veneer is finally coming off and government is displaying the contempt it has for the people in general.  As I see it, in a multiparty political environment this government would never last another day.

The reason being that power would reside with the people and, therefore, government would be responsible and answerable to the people who put it in power. And if and when the government does not deliver to the people’s aspirations it would be voted out, period. But not so under the Tinkhundla Political System. 

But, as a conscientious and patriotic son of the soil violently opposed to the oppression and suppression of the people, to break the negotiations deadlock between the social partners, here are a few pointers from which government can get the money;
l Abandoning capital projects not viable and economically unsustainable
l Putting an indefinite moratorium in the recruitment of personnel for the disciplined forces; army, police and Correctional Services
l Stopping all purchases of weapons and other military hardware
l Reviewing and properly regulating rank grading and promotions within the disciplined forces
l Stopping looting of the public purse and parastatal entities
l Freezing external travels, such as trips to attend weddings and swearing-in ceremonies, excepting trips with immediate tangible economic benefits while leveraging and maximising on the kingdom’s diplomatic representatives abroad 
l Drastically reducing, either through merging, attrition (withdrawal of subvention) and privatisation of government parastatal entities
lReducing government Cabinet portfolios from 20 to 12
l Dissolving permanent emabandla and replacing them with issue-driven ad hoc chiefdom-based royal advisors (Swazi National Council)
l Abolishing the nepotism policy and replacing it with a transparent qualifications/skills/experience-based recruitment/appointment policy  
l Leasing, other than purchasing and constructing, equipment (vehicles, venues etc.), services, etc. whenever the State is hosting summits
l Abandoning the Tinkhundla experiment and embracing a new pluralistic political order    
The list is inexhaustible.

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