SET ATTIRE FOR PARLY OPENING

MBABANE – There won’t be much glitz and glamour at the State Opening of Parliament, at least not from the new legislators.

This follows the precedent which was set by former Senate President Gelane Zwane where Members of Parliament and senators were encouraged to wear traditional attire.

The members of the 11th Parliament have also been prescribed a dress code of traditional attire which they are expected to wear on Friday during the State Opening of Parliament which will mark the First Session of the 11th Parliament.

The lihiya was presented to the legislators during a briefing meeting held in Parliament where both Members of Parliament and senators were informed of what was expected of them.

Invitation

The invitation cards do specify that the dress code though is formal or traditional wear, which means the legislator are not forced to don the prescribed traditional attire. The wearing of traditional attire has been precedent since 2009 where in a first-of its-kind Zwane and erstwhile Speaker Prince Guduza suggested that all the legislators should dress in emahiya.

Since then, it has been a trend for the legislators to wear the matching attire although back then, some of the legislators felt that they were being bullied into dressing up in the same way particularly, since Zwane turned up in western wear.

However, a majority of the new legislators, who were interviewed yesterday, said they were quite content with wearing the traditional regalia because it was a unique outfit and symbolised that the nation was united, particularly since His Majesty Kind Mswati III is also known to wear emahiya during the State Opening. The male legislators were also directed on the type of sidvwashi (cloth) to wear which is brown and yellow.   

wife

During the last Parliament, it was only former Manzini South MP Jan Sithole who never bothered to wear the traditional attire, but always came dressed to the nines and accompanied by his wife. The opening of Parliament had always been a glitzy affair, especially with female legislators, who donned their best outfits.
In neighbouring South Africa, female legislators and guests are known to dress to the nines although there has been a trend of some of them also wearing traditional attires.  

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