WE DEMAND BETTER FROM OUR LEADERS

Madam,

The Bill of Rights details a set of sacrosanct socioeconomic rights – housing, education, healthcare, water, food, social security, among others – which the State must make available to all its citizens without fail. These are the tools government was handed to restore and promote the dignity of thousands of our people. Yet there are still many people who are trapped in poverty, joblessness and hopelessness. However unsettling the facts may be, they are still facts. The average child receives an inferior education from a second-class education system. She receives inferior healthcare from a broken healthcare system. And she lives in an abode that strips away her dignity. Government is thus categorically anti-poor.

poverty

With more than half of citizens living below the upper poverty line, the life of a poor liSwati is one of dependence and indignity. It is now a norm to hear that public hospitals have no medication and that some learners in the country go to school hungry and are unable to learn. Poorer children are forced to go to school hungry, and those wholly dependent on public health will not die of the illness that takes them to hospital, but of starvation. These failures may be seen as anecdotal, however, they demonstrate that, while some have the financial means to buy their way out of relying on the failing government, most cannot. It is poor citizens who are without alternatives and end up worst affected.

urgency

There exists an increasing urgency to address poverty, inequality and unemployment and in turn restore dignity to those who have had their rights stolen. One way to do so is the injection of the mismanagement of public funds. We must be bold in this endeavour. The informal economy needs to be scrutinised and possibly funded to uplift communities, and create new jobs and wealth for disadvantaged citizens. The current state of Eswatini is cause for great concern. However, with decisive action and a commitment to reform, our nation can overcome these challenges and chart a course towards a brighter future. It is our collective responsibility as emaSwati to demand better from our leaders and hold them accountable for their actions.

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