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CHINA OR AMERICA, THE ART OF WAR

05/10/2021 08:03:00 SABELO GABS NXUMALO

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One of the greatest Chinese philosophers and military strategist Sun Tzu wrote The Art of War.

This is still one of the greatest books ever written on the art of warfare. Great politicians and business magnets have used it successfully for centuries. It has 13 main components one of which is the knowledge of your enemy and knowing when to fight and when to negotiate. It has always been my conviction that the answer to our present political situation is a constitutional monarchy which can only be negotiated peacefully through Parliament. His Majesty and the royal family should initiate the constitutional amendments themselves. It should be clear that to remain an absolute Monarch is this day and age is no longer viable. No one can literally appoint the whole government and say it’s democratic. History has shown how absolute monarchies fell to republics or to a constitutional monarchy depending on the wisdom of the ruling Monarch at the time.

Political party movements have spent decades calling for multiparty democracy without any real success until the unions in 1996 under the SFTU led by the now late Jan Sithole, Jabulani Nxumalo and Themba Msibi, among others, shook the establishment and managed to win the workers some internationally established rights like the May Day holiday. To cut a long story short, SFTU failed to know their enemy and they are all swallowed up by the monarchy; with Sithole joining Parliament, swearing allegiance to the King, Msibi became the greatest gate keeper for the Monarch as Speaker and Nxumalo now a founding member of Mangololo.

On October 4, 2005, a new Constitution was presented to the nation, which gave rights to emaSwati never seen before, but still fell short when it came to the formation of a democratic government. Fast-forward to June 2021, the unthinkable happened, unrest and looting. Three brave Members of Parliament (MPs) dared to question the appointment of the prime minister by the King. Political parties saw an opportunity to hijack the whole thing from the MPs and ran with it, but they don’t know their enemy.

Art of war - know your enemy

The pro-multiparty democracy movement ran to the Americans. And Americans have their own agenda with regard to Eswatini. Taiwan, South Africa and Mozambique are their main priority for different reasons. Taiwan is of strategic importance to America given their ongoing cold war with Mainland China. South Africa is the largest economy in Africa with serous mineral reserves and influence in Africa, but the ANC is unstable with Jacob Zuma’s faction and Julius Malema’s policies being constant threats. With Mozambique having huge mineral reserves next door, Eswatini became strategic. The King is presently at an advantage point because Americans don’t know or trust the pro-multiparty democracy movement and their leaders’ agenda particularly with regards to China. Parliamentarians are a better organised leadership for quick change through the constitutional amendments but they are not ready to take on the King without backing from China as His Majesty has strong gatekeepers in the form of the House Speaker and appointees.

Parliamentarians understand that emaSwati need to move in large numbers to bring about change, and know that emaSwati will not easily abandon the monarchy even if the Monarch seems out of favour. Hence their careful move to start with the amendment of the appointment of the prime minister under a constitutional Monarch, which emaSwati are calling for. Political parties don’t understand this and are moving towards violence because of the frustration in the slowness of progress. Social media is not helping the situation and people are celebrating imagined victories prematurely.

On the other hand, emaSwati are extremely frustrated and will take out their frustration on the King because they perceive him as government given his constitutional powers. These powers are too much for one man who is not a president but lifetime ruler in a democratic world. Anyone with such power would stand to blame for all the ills of a country. If he is perceived as government, then the prime minister is perceived as just a puppet prefect along with his ministers. Government in fact does not act like it has real power, referring to the King at every opportunity. His Majesty also does not know his people and their frustrations any more. He has become distant as he does not personally visit hospitals, slam areas, and does not see first-hand the suffering of his people. The royal family hardly donates to the poor or does charity work anymore but are seen by the population as serious spenders. The reports he gets are that all is good, it’s just evil people who are hating.

Election of prime minister

The King would remain the head of State as in all constitutional monarchies. He would still appoint 30 per cent (which would be appointees not allowed or are disadvantaged to stand for elections like chiefs and minorities) of the MPs but they would form part of the total number of MPs as is currently the case. Twenty members from both Houses of Parliament would accept nominations to stand for the prime minister position and the House would vote for four which would then stand for the popular vote back at tinkhundla level. The final two highest would be decided by the Electoral and Policy Conference delegates.

Sibaya electoral, policy conference

The Constitution provides for Sibaya as the highest policymaking organ. The nation shall provide representatives from all corners of the country, say 1 000 members to form this body which must be modernised and held at a proper International Conference Centre Ezulwini. The delegates must include all chiefs, emabandla, unions, Lutsango, youth, students, professional bodies (lawyers, doctors, engineers,) farmers, sports councils, business organisations, people with disabilities, pensioners, civil society and even political parties if the nation agrees in a referendum. Political parties should be limited to the top two biggest as in America and UK to avoid divisions and weakness within the nation; progressive’s parties’ coalition and conservatives’ parties coalition. Standing as independent individuals would be allowed and encouraged too if you can stand the two political parties.

The Policy and Electoral Conference ( Sibaya) would spend five days or more making policy and then vote in the new prime minister from the two remaining candidates who have the highest vote from the people. The idea is that the conference will have the expertise to choose the right candidate given the policy and its deliverables. He or she will them form his or her government choosing from the MPs including the King’s appointees at an agreed percentage, say 30 per cent in the spirit of the democratic constitutional monarchy. The appointment of the Judiciary to have the same negotiated slit. The Electoral and Policy Conference would meet in three years to review the government before its final two years in office. Their report will determine if they will win the next election in the next two years.