THOUGHTS FROM A ‘SLEEPY DONOR’

An article in one of the national dailies recently declared: ‘Corruption Rife in Eswatini – USA.’  This article, which bore a striking resemblance to a piece on AllAfrica.com, presented the U.S. Department of State’s annual Human Rights report as if it was predominantly focused on corruption.

  A more complete review of the report, available at https://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/, would have revealed that corruption comprises only one page out of a 24 page report.  Should anyone wish to read the actual report, you will gain a better understanding of our assessment of human rights in the kingdom for 2018, on issues ranging from politically motivated killings to freedom of expression, to elections and political participation. 

The report is a mixture of positives and negatives.  If you wish to get a sense of Eswatini’s trajectory over the years, you can look at past reports on the website as well.  Some in the country will disagree with our assessment, but the succession of reports shows that many conditions have improved since 2015.

FULL UNDERSTANDING

I am frustrated that neither the local publication nor the AllAfrica source chose to present the full picture presented by the Human Rights report.  However, the response of the government spokesman far outweighs the media’s very narrow lens on this issue.  The spokesman characterized the information in our report as ‘sourced from desperate power hungry political dwarfs’ who are ‘trying to please sleepy donors.’

  The spokesman apparently could not be bothered to inform himself on the matter, to gain a full and nuanced understanding before responding on behalf of the government.
The Department of State submits the annual Country Reports on Human Rights practices to Congress as part of our compliance with the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961. 

The reports cover internationally recognized civil and political rights, including those set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.  Reports are prepared on countries that receive foreign assistance from the U.S. and countries which are members of the United Nations.  Legislation requires that U.S. foreign and trade policy take into account countries’ humans and workers’ rights performance.

strategic road map launch

The government, and apparently many people at the government’s launch of its strategic road map, seem to think that foreign development partners should simply hand over money and shut up.  The problem with this expectation is that it ignores the obligation of U.S. civil servants to ensure proper stewardship of taxpayer funds.  We cannot have our taxpayers continue to support the health care of emaSwati, if we are not continuously vigilant with reporting about the economic and governance foundations that secure these investments.  We cannot simply keep quiet and hope for the best.

Part of the irony in the spokesman’s criticism is that, the topic he derides is one that his boss acknowledges is a problem;  corruption.  At the launch of the government’s strategic road map, the Prime Minister underscored that corruption is a problem in the country and must be addressed as a matter of economic imperative.  Among the Prime Minister’s first actions in office, was the announcement of several anti-corruption and cost cutting measures.  Surely, the spokesman is not suggesting that the Prime Minister is ‘sleepy’? 

constitution ON CORRUPTION

Similarly, Eswatini’s constitution repeatedly highlights corruption as a threat to be eliminated and imposes affirmative duties on all emaSwati to expose and eradicate it;  “All lawful measures shall be taken to expose, combat and eradicate corruption and abuse or misuse of power by those holding political and other public offices.”  The constitution, which secured the assent of the king and represents the will of emaSwati, surely would not be dismissed by the spokesman as “sleepy”?

The government also misses a massive point when it derides the marches that have taken place in Manzini in recent weeks.  If you look back at prior year Human Rights reports, you will see that prior restrictions on public gatherings were part of what drew international attention to Eswatini’s failure to honour the constitution’s fundamental freedoms of assembly, association, and expression. 
 

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