MBABANE—Firebrand politician, Mfomfo Nkambule, has dismissed the king’s speech from the throne as stale and lacking substance.
Reacting to the speech from the throne, the Chairperson of Inhlava political party said what the king’s speech was a repetition of things said over the past years. "My conclusion, after listening and reading the speech, is that the king has said almost nothing. There is nothing new in what he said. He has been making those statements for many years," said Nkambule.
"In Swaziland, the people are now resembling a herd of cattle without a shepherd. The danger in that kind of scenario is that when grazing without the guidance of a shepherd, the cattle become endangered because of the likelihood of consuming poisonous plants.
"What I am trying to say is that there is no proper political leadership in the country. This state of affairs calls for a new direction and new initiatives needed to combat the challenges we are currently facing as a nation."
declared
When addressing the opening of Parliament, the king declared this year as one of renewal. "This year we shall renew our philosophy and focus, working together for a common goal and putting the best interests of the country over everything else," said the king.
Reacting to this pledge, Nkambule said: "There is nothing to be renewed here because our system of governance has been in existence for over 40 years. Right now we have new people who were elected and appointed."
He added: "The sad thing is that they all come from the same old school of thought. Nothing is new. All that needs to be done is to destroy this very old system and create a foundation for a new one that will be responsive to the needs of Swazis."
He said the people that had been put into positions of political power were old faces, which brought no meaningful change.
"People should remember that it is a new broom that sweeps clean. The people we have in government are not new. Sadly, they have been told how to think, what to wear, what to eat, when to stand up and when to sit down," he said, further taking a swipe at Senate President Gelane Zwane’s dress code instructions.
"One should wear traditional attire when it suits him or her. To order them around on a simple issue like dress code is an indication that they are being forced to conform with the powers at all times, because they cannot do or think about issues independently," he said.
He added: "Instead of engaging a gear that will take us forward, we have engaged one that will take us back."
Nkambule, who is a former appointed and later elected Member of Parliament, has been at loggerheads with traditionalists lately. The source of the tension was his no-holds-barred approach to criticising government, including the King.
He is a columnist for the Times of Swaziland’s Monday edition. Recently, he was summoned by senior police officers who warned that he could be arrested for some of the views he expresses in the newspaper. He was later summoned by leaders of his traditional regiment, Balondolozi BakaLozitha Ligezi, who issued an ultimatum: that he chooses between criticising the king, or his membership, which requires one to be submissive and non critical.
decision
He chose to ‘fight on’. However, the reaction of Balondolozi to his decision has yet to be confirmed.
Inhlava political party was formed in 2007 just before he was unceremoniously fired as minister of the then Ministry of Health and Social Welfare. The organisation, which was initially disguised as a discussion forum for parliamentarians, had many MPs of the previous parliament at members.
However, many jumped ship when rumours that it was a political party started doing rounds. Nkambule, with the assistance of committed members, transformed it into a fully-fledged into a political party inviting individuals with interest in becoming members.
Political parties are still not allowed to participate in government, while four, others, namely, PUDEMO, SWAYOCO, UMBANE and the Swaziland Solidarity Network, were re-proscribed by government recently.
Coalition notes king’s silence on critical issues
MBABANE—The SCCCO has
welcomed with reservations, the King’s Speech from the Throne, themed: ‘The Year of Renewal’, with hopes that the theme is about replacing the old and the worn, the tired and the ineffective and beginning again.
SCCCO stands for Swaziland Coalition of Concerned Civic Organisations.
Through its Chairman, Bishop Meshak Mabuza, the organisation pointed out that renewal had many facets.
"One is to reaffirm existing commitments or promises, another is to replace something that is worn out or no longer suitable for use.
"The first and most common definition is to begin something again. The Coalition sincerely hopes that the theme of renewal is about replacing the old and the worn, the tired and the ineffective and beginning again. This must start with the recognition that the old ways need to be changed," he stated.
When concluding his speech on Friday, the king said: "2009 is the year for renewal—that is our theme. This year we shall renew our philosophy and focus, working together for a common goal and putting the best interests of the country over everything else."
the Coalition asserts that the first renewal must be the process that forms parliament.
Elections
"Tinkhundla elections have no effect on the choice of the Government of Swaziland or its policies. This parliament was formed without regard to the needs of the country. It has no direction, vision, mandate or accountability. It remains a fig leaf for the sham democracy that is Swaziland.
"When the people cannot choose their government, it simply cannot be called a democracy. The pomp and ceremony surrounding the opening of parliament is a smokescreen to disguise what is essentially a hollow act," he said, adding "The Commonwealth Experts’ report on the elections that put this parliament in place said it best. ‘We cannot therefore conclude that the entire electoral process was credible’."
He said the report also stated that a mechanism should be established to elevate His Majesty beyond the turbulence of politics.
"His delving into the details of budgets exposes him to unnecessary public criticism. That is properly a matter for debate between the Minister of Finance and Parliament, not the Head of State," said Bishop Mabuza.
Bishop Mabuza said what civil society notes on the speech was not what the king said, but what he did not say.
"He gave no commitments to upholding the letter and spirit of the Constitution or the Rule of Law," said the Bishop.
"He did not say his government would renew its commitment to Human Rights found in the Bill of Rights and other places. He gave no commitment to setting up the Human Rights Commission. He did not mention or even allude to the demands from Political Parties for dialogue; he remains quiet on the demands from the Trade Unions for responsible and positive engagement.
"He was utterly silent on the status of women in the country. He gave no commitment to reviewing the Suppression of Terrorism Act. Thankfully there was no mention of ‘throttling’. This was an opportunity to distance himself from that particular statement, his silence leads us to believe that it remains top of his government’s unwritten agenda."
peaceful
Bishop Mabuza said the organisation agreed with the king when he talked of a peaceful country. However, he said, for peace to prevail, it must be based on justice for all, not privilege for a few. Mabuza said justice should be based on the needs of all the people of Swaziland not just the powerful and well connected. In addition, he said, it must be based on respect, not founded in fear.
"So we welcome the spirit of renewal. Let us renew the Constitution so that we have a democracy where the people choose their government based on policies as well as personalities. Let us renew Parliament so that political parties are welcomed there. Let us renew our laws and our police force so that they respect human rights.
"Let us renew our attitude to the women of our society so that they are no longer treated as chattels and second-class citizens. Let us renew our attitude to dissenters so that their views are considered. Let us renew our version of democracy so that the people can choose their own government," he said.
Bishop Mabuza said His Majesty would find that in doing these things, his vision for Swaziland as a happy, peaceful and prosperous country would be achie-ved more quickly, more easily and more harmoniously.
"When you involve people, you get their best ideas. When you free them from fear, you get their best efforts. When hard work is rewarded with fair pay, you get wealth generation. When his government encourages, enables and protects the many not the few, the brave not the cowardly, and the honest not the corrupt, he will see an unimaginable renewal of Swaziland," he said.
Delivering his speech, the king congratulated Members of Parliament for their election and appointments, and further thanked the 8th parliament for their contribution to government. He also touched on issues relating to agriculture, skills development, disaster management, health, the elderly, the youth, regional development fund, corruption and other social problems.
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(Posted by Qalakaliboli Dlamini, February 11, 2009, 11:45 PM)