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NEW YEAR’S WISH

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HAPPY New Year to all who are reading this article. How I wish we can have a better year this time around. With rain ushering us into 2019, I hope it will be a positive year and the country will recover from the economic crisis.

I believe that the country can rise above this crisis but it will need everyone to do his or her part. But I fear that as it is now we are not going in a positive direction. I wish to see government taking a different turn for the better.


It is my wish that we have a government that will take proper care of the health of emaSwati. This thing of having shortages of working tools and medication in hospitals should be something of the past. Medical practitioners and nurses should be motivated to go out of their way to help people of this country. The excuse of lack of money will never be understood by us who are taxed to the bone because we believe this country has enough to provide for its entire people. The problem is that there is high misuse of resources and corruption.


I wish to see change in the education sector, change from what has now become common practice. We now know that at some point we will be told of lack of food in schools. We also know that the ministry will say all is well and food will be delivered in schools and one wonders why the food is not delivered timeously so that it gets to schools on time. We don’t want to hear school administrators complaining that government is not paying money to schools on time.


Boycott


Government already has the statistics and it knows how many pupils it should be paying for. I wish there will be no boycott of classes at tertiary institutions because government has not paid or given students their allowances. Government already knows how much it has and it must not promise what it does not have. I was happy to hear the minister of Finance promising to prepare a budget that is based on what the country has instead of the hypothetical budgets that we have always been presented with.


I further wish to have a vibrant Parliament that will know its duties. A Parliament that will hold the Executive accountable instead of parliamentarians who will only be interested in what they will be paid. I wish for a Parliament that will be abreast with issues and know when to act and the right questions to ask the Executive.


I wish for a Parliament that will know that its primary duty is legislation and not just legislation but legislation that will lead to the development of the country. I wish for parliamentarians who will read and upgrade themselves on issues, who will be willing to listen to the technocrats and then pass the right legislation. We must forget about this thing of emulating South African laws and then fail where it matters most. I wish they do not fear to change the current environment and ask that some ministries be changed because they bring less benefit to the country but a lot is paid to the personnel to keep the ministries running. We need a Parliament that will stand for its resolutions and not bend to the demands of the Executive.


I wish to see a change in our security forces. I wish to see a police service that is clear about its duties and knows when and how to act. A police service that will be candid in its actions and stop salary raises in the form of promotions. I also wish to see a police service that will not recruit more officers when there is no need and a recruitment exercise free from nepotism.


When looking at the recruitment of officers, I am not surprised by their behaviour. They were not police material even before they were recruited; that is why they kill instead of protecting the lives of people. They abuse children when given authority over them. Some are allegedly involved in drug trade whenever they have an opportunity to. I do not wish to see such this year.


I am optimistic that my wishes will not remain a dream. I have also heard the prime minister mentioning that he will try to take the country out of the financial crisis. I do believe in the new Cabinet because I have no reason not to. Parliamentarians promised a better life to the people during their campaigns and now it is time to deliver. Therefore, my wishes will become a reality if all would work with integrity and respect the citizens of this... my beautiful country Eswatini.

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