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PM APPEARS TO BE SINCERE BUT …

03/12/2018 07:07:00 By Vusi Sibisi

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IN political parlance sound bites is useful currency for politicians whenever they seek to gain favour of their publics across the political spectrum, hence they ought to be swallowed with much caution and trepidation until they transform either into policy, programmes or real actions.

Prime Minister Ambrose Mandvulo Dlamini struck a nerve with the public in his maiden act of bravado since assuming this high office that had long been tainted by the overextended tenancy of his predecessor. Yes, the stature of the office had also been desecrated ostensibly owing to a lack of decorum from its former incumbent given his insecurities that often made him to act recklessly and irrationally and in the process abused, for personal reasons, the authority bestowed on the office.
Respect for office is desirous just as is self-respect for the incumbent or anyone for that matter who aspires to be respected in return. A deficit on either has the potential to erode respect for both office and the incumbent. Not surprisingly, lack of respect for office and, by extension, the people is stock-in-trade of the Tinkhundla political system hence the rule of law crisis that continues to haunt this nation well after its author has departed coupled with the routine violation of the national charter, the Constitution, by those sworn to defend it.

I was, am sure along with a majority of compatriots, reassured by the statement, specifically its tone, issued by the PM as a first step towards addressing the country’s worsening fiscus position and constricting economy. His bold measures to contain expenditure by initially targeting external travel by politicians is to be welcomed especially since it had become a source of wealth under the business unusual of the former government. The excesses in this regard went as far as attracting a scathing attack from the Government of the United States whose aid is funding critical socio-economic programmes and projects that have been neglected by the Eswatini government owing to its skewed priorities.

I am not yet certain if the PM understands or has been tutored on how the obtaining political hegemony operates otherwise he may find himself in an untenable position. This coming after the PM boldly held the bull by its horns with his announcement of cost saving measures, which included downgrading from first to business class external travel by politicians, including himself, as well as principal secretaries. Not only that, he also made it known that no new executive vehicles would be purchased for himself, his deputy and the rest of his Cabinet, and that everyone would make use of those used by their predecessors and from the government pool respectively. And by the time he made this announcement of seismic proportions, of course relative to Eswatini polity, he had already cancelled the use of leased vehicles.

Earlier on he had also rejected the suggestion to be accommodated at the luxurious but expensive Royal Villas while his official residence is undergoing renovations. On top of it all the PM also put a squeeze on tariffs increases for utilities by state owned entities (SOEs) until the economy improves. He also suspended government tenders unless they are for urgent and critical needs. For emaSwati, this is the first time a government has been responsive to their sensitivities, indeed a radical departure from previous governments. For even after declaring business unusual as the economic situation was worsening under his watch, the incumbent’s predecessor had failed or neglected to contain expenditure and wastage. In fact reckless and extra-budgetary expenditures are the two primary factors that are responsible for government’s cash-flow crises over recent years.

As I see it, while the PM’s November 22, 2018 statement will definitely endear him to the masses, the question remains if the measures he has taken are sufficient to bring life to an economy already in comatose. Of course he did promise in his statement that government would, in due course, present a strategic road map to economic recovery. Of concern to everyone is how this country found itself in the untenable position it is in, in the first place. In the circumstances it is essential to identify factors causal to the negative outturn, especially as they relate to the management of the fiscus in order to come up with solutions that would ensure these are not replicated in future. Therein he may find odds heavily stacked against him if he dared to tread where the angels fear to tread, all courtesy of an untenable political system. This goes back to the authors of the National Development Strategy (NDS), who identified the political system as a stumbling block to progress in making this country competitive. And they have been proven right given the current state of affairs.

And besides the stumbling blocks occasioned by an untenable political environment, the one obstacle - if the PM is not censored for going overboard to threaten the revenue streams of the political elites – is changing the mindsets and attitudes of old government apparatchiks. These are the individuals who, in the midst of an economic meltdown still came with absurd decisions of renting vehicles for politicians and accommodating the PM at Royal Villas, etcetera, etcetera. These may become obstacles to government’s new strategies and reengineering. In the private sector where the PM comes from this momentum is preempted by exit packages for the old order in order for organic renewal to happen.
But does the PM have the political muscle for this, especially in a polity where appointments are not by merit, competency or skills but about securing the livelihoods of the blue-blooded, praise singers, bootlickers and sycophants?