THE POWER OF RECALL

All roads lead to Lobamba today for the State of the Nation (SONA) address as we anticipate the direction our country will be taking this year, as we navigate difficult fiscal times and all its challenges.

This year’s event looks set to be without the usual drama starring Senate President Gelane Zwane, who is bereaved.
However, it is fair to say there is equal anticipation of the SONA of our neighbouring South Africa, which holds the current record of being the most dramatic across the globe, where Jacob Zuma has resigned as President.

This ‘forced’ resignation came shortly after the ruling party, the African National Congress (ANC), recalled Zuma from the presidency after attempts to cajole him to resign and give way to the president of the ANC, Cyril Ramaphosa, failed.
The irony of it all is that Zuma has been subjected to the same process that saw him assume the presidency of the country when former President Thabo Mbeki lost the ANC presidential election.

He claims to have been against the idea to recall Mbeki but his former henchman, who now leads the Economic Freedom Front (EFF), Julius Malema has dismissed these claims as hogwash.

This episode, which comes just a few months after another country’s leader was recalled by his own party in former President of Zimbabwe Robert Mugabe of Zanu PF.

We applaud the bloodless coup in both episodes.
Numerous lessons could be drawn from the Zuma recall which has several implications for Swaziland which was politically regarded as Zuma’s second home.

We do believe he has always played a part in calming those politicians who continue to be lobbied to push South Africa to use its economic muscle to force political changes here.

Will Cyril Ramaphosa be more sympathetic? Perhaps his policy statements will give us some indication of where we stand.
He appears to be a man of his word, given his stance on corruption and the events unfolding in this category, so his position on Swaziland is crucial.

This uncertainty should represent an important lesson for us, as a country, to never place our future in the hands of others who may be there today and gone tomorrow.
When winds of change blow, there is no stopping them.

The winds of change have also been blowing on our cash-cow the Southern African Custom Union (SACU) to pay salaries of civil servants, but we continue to behave like this manna will continue to fall from heaven.

The government has failed to diversify our sources of revenue for decades, except tax us to the bone.
This, despite numerous calls by the King at several SONA.

We seem to have left the future of this country to fate.
The general populace has also been infected with this laissez faire syndrome; so were a majority of ANC members during Zuma’s presidency.
Swaziland goes to the polls later this year with an economy yearning for transformation. While the people hold the power to elect, Members of Parliament (MPs) deprived them of the power of recall.

Hypocritically though, they gave themselves the power to recall the prime minister, which is a good as useless because only the King has the power to appoint and remove the PM.

Perhaps the electorate could call upon the MPs to revisit the recall clause when it comes to those elected by the people so that we get politicians who know they have a people to account to. Parliamentarians without a recall are a law unto themselves.
An accountable MP can add more value to the entire system and play a better role of oversight.
Without such a profile, the biggest loser will always be the country, because nothing will ever get done.
The government’s plan of action has registered a dismal performance over the five years, but each one of the legislators will get to walk home with their big fat payouts and a juicy pension for life. Is this fair?
After listening to the SONA today, we should seriously ask ourselves who best will help us realise the aspirations of the King and country before casting our vote come election time.

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