CAMPAIGNING, GAME OF CHANCE

Sir,

Please publish these comments following the promise of a vehicle by Siphocosini Member of Parliament (MP) hopeful Mduduzi Matsebula published on Wednesday, September 13, 2018, and the subsequent condemnation of that promise by the Swaziland Gaming Board control secretary as well as the Elections and Boundaries Committee (EBC).

It may well have been that the promises made by Matsebula were in violation of certain laws as the condemnation published in Thursday’s publication alludes.
I particularly want to spearhead a debate that there is a thin line separating activities of elections candidates and the game of chance because all these rely on increasing the probability of a favourable result.

An election for instance, is a concept we embraced as a country but it was not designed by us. Those who have lived through elections for long, view it as an act of party casting votes to elect some individual for some type of position.

This involves a public or private vote depending on the position.
In our case, as the Kingdom of Eswatini, we do not have political parties casting votes as a party; hence opposition politics is not particularly strong.
This makes campaigning being reduced to promises of what an individual shall do to improve lives of the electorate, and these promises have no limit if you consider what other candidates are presenting in their elections campaigns.

Campaigning is all about creating a change. It is sometimes called influencing, voicing, advocacy and so on but the ultimate goal is to create envisioned change.
So whatever people say or do during campaigning, the end result they envisage is to influence the voters to vote for them.
If there is any law that is against influencing people to vote in a certain direction, then what is the relevance of campaigning?

A game of chance is one where the outcome is strongly influenced by some randomising device, and upon which contestants may choose to wager money or anything of value. So in a way you may say the promise of the vehicle, which is of value, by Matsebula has characteristics of a game of chance. But all the same, all MP hopefuls are using the same strategy to sway votes to their direction.

Matsebula has indicated that his competitor Bongani Dube also promised to pay off a E25 000 Inhlanyelo Fund debt owed by the electorate once he wins the elections. This is the same promise made by Matsebula in a nutshell but he is not getting any condemnation.

Why not pay the debt now? Surely that is also an influence whether undue or what aimed at swaying votes to him. It is also reported that MP hopeful Phila Buthelezi has also promised buying a kombi for the electorate should he be voted MP. 

The catch of the promise is the condition – if one wins the elections.
Elections being won by chance, means candidates shall engage in tactics that shall seek to create change. I guess the Gaming Board secretary together with the EBC must address this matter holistically and not threaten certain candidates but leave out others engaging similar tactics. It would seem that they are de-campaigning some and leaving some.

M Ntshalintshali

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