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THE ESWATINI WE WANT

22/06/2018 05:03:00 By Martin Dlamini

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THE African Union slogan adopted to drive its Agenda 2063 is; “The Africa we want.” It has seven key aspirations, among which is to see an Africa that is united, peaceful, self-reliant and prosperous, with the means and resources to drive its own development, with sustainable and long term stewardship of its resources.

Agenda 2063 aspires to see all citizens actively involved in decision making in all aspects of development, where no child, woman, or man will be left behind or excluded. It further aspires to see 50 per cent gender parity in elected public offices and pushes for youth empowerment through the full implementation of the African Youth Charter. We are all well aware that to achieve this requires each country on the African continent to live up to these noble expectations and the Kingdom of Eswatini is no exception.

The question for us becomes; “Is this the Eswatini we want?” A cursory glance at the aspirations of our Vision 2022 shows numerous similarities to Agenda 2063. However, the real answer to this question will be found in October when Members of Parliament are being sworn in.

Are we to elect a parliament that has the pedigree to deliver on these aspirations that speak to issues of good governance, democracy, respect for human rights, justice and the rule of law?

Will our choices at the ballot box produce candidates that are capable of delivering development that is people-driven, relying on the potential of African people, especially its women and youth, with the ultimate objective of realising an Africa that is a strong, united, influential global player and partner? Are we even thinking at this level as we prepare to nominate ‘the future we want’?

His Majesty the King called the nation to the Cattle byre, Sibaya, on Wednesday where he announced the dissolution of Parliament effective June 30, 2018. He urged the citizenry to prepare itself to elect candidates that are capable of serving in government to help this country realise its National Vision 2022 aspirations. In doing so, he urged that we do not leave women behind.

To get a sense of what people want, sample interviews were conducted among the ordinary citizens at Sibaya. The findings are similar to the submissions of the 2016 Sibaya, where the majority lamented the lack of job opportunities, poor service delivery, corruption and unequal distribution of national resources. They were scathing on the Prime Minister Barnabas Dlamini and his Cabinet.

Two years later, there are still calls for a Prime Minister who would have the interests of the people at heart. One of the people attending Sibaya interviewed on Wednesday, said it was not only time for a new PM, but for a younger head of government. Security Guard Thulani Gamedze (50) of Mangwaneni in Mbabane, said the country needs a young Prime Minister who would have the pace, energy and the interests of the youth at heart. He said the youth were more technologically advanced academically and most suited to lead this country towards realising the aspirations of our National Vision 2022.
“Anyone between the age of 25 and 35 years old can do, regardless of gender,” he said. If His Majesty, who is the appointing authority for such a position, were to grant this wish, Eswatini would not be the first to have a young leader. Sebastian Kurz, the Chancellor of Austria, is currently the world’s youngest leader at 32. North Korea’s Kim Jong-un is believed to be aged 35 while France currently has a 40 year old President Emmanuel Macron.
Another interviewee, Bheki Hlophe (37) of Mbhadlane urged the youth to cast a vote for an individual who has a traceable record of initiating or being involved in youth empowerment programmes in communities. Sindi Mnisi (24) of Kwaluseni also called for more youth representation in Parliament: “Creating jobs for the youth should not be based on qualifications only because even those who have not finished school have different talents that need to be supported,” she said.
Velibanti Dlamini (38) of Gundvwini, the Director of Socio-economic Development for Change said the hour was nigh for the youth to dominate the seats in the 11th Parliament to ensure the youth are included in the economic development agenda of this country by creating adequate employment opportunities for them. “They should vote for candidates who will take their mandate and make it an agenda in Parliament,” he strongly emphasised.
If we are to read into these sentiments, we could witness a strong representation of youth in the 11th parliament who will have the requisite academic skills, a drive and determination guided by the full interests of the future generation at heart, to make meaningful change.
However, this all depends on whether or not we allow ourselves to be bought by the highest bidder who will recoup his bribes-for-votes through corruption at the expense of national development once he gets to public office. Who could blame the candidate, as our vote would have given us ‘the MP we want’, the ‘Eswatini we want’ and ultimately, ‘the Africa we want’, would it not?