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REVIVE ECONOMY BEFORE PARLY VILLAGE - SOME MPS

14/03/2022 08:56:00 Sibusiso Shange

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MBABANE - Revive the economy first before constructing Parliament village!

Some Members of Parliament (MPs) are of the view that it is bad timing for government to build them houses and offices under the current state of the economy. In their view, government should halt the plans at least until the economy of the country is back on its feet. The building of houses is included in the proposed plan to construct a new Parliament building which saw government seeking a E1.6 billion loan from India. The legislators said the design for the proposed houses for legislators could be put aside while government focused on other priority areas such as provision of medication in healthcare facilities and rehabilitation of roads. The legislators said it would not be a good idea for government to build houses for legislators while some places were inaccessible due to the bad state of the country’s roads, especially after the heavy rains. It should be noted, however, that even if the proposed plan comes to fruition, it will not benefit the legislators in the current term of office.

Construction

This is because the 120 houses are expected to be built as part of the second phase of the construction of the new Parliament building, which has not even commenced yet, and there is no guarantee that the MPs would be re-elected and be in office once the project is completed. The legislators pointed out that there were serious concerns about the shortage of medication in the country’s hospitals. Lomahasha MP Ndumiso Masimula said the housing project could sell the legislators to the voters who elected them if allowed during these critical times.
He stated that allowing the housing project could appear to the voters as if MPs were not defending their interests in Parliament.

“I am not against development but there are things that I do not agree with 100 per cent. When the idea came about, we were told that the proposed new Parliament building would cover 80 hectares. We were disturbed to learn that the portion of land had been reduced but still at the same amount. Another issue was the building material which will be imported from India.
“We are living at critical times, where many people lost their jobs due to COVID-19. I think government should consider creating jobs to mitigate the situation before we can talk about the houses,” Masimula said.

Ntfonjeni MP Sifiso Magagula said when the MPs passed the E1.6 billion loan for the proposed Parliament building, they were never told that government would contribute about E800 million towards the same project. He said it was bad timing for government to part with E800 million for the project while emaSwati were concerned about lack of medication in hospitals.
He stated that emaSwati were also concerned about the bad state of the roads across the country. Magagula was asked if as MPs they had a chance to advise government on areas of priority before it was too late.

In response, the MP stated that they had tried but that at times, they became committed in different portfolios, making it difficult for them to join other committees to make an input.
Somntongo MP Dumisani Mbhamali shared the same sentiments as Masimula, stating that allowing the housing project could sell the MPs out to the voters who elected them into Parliament. He said emaSwati were concerned about the roads and lack of medication in hospitals. Mbhamali said building the houses for legislators could add salt to the wound, judging from the current situation in the country.

“Yes, I fully agree that we are at times exposed to risks as we have to drive long distances after working long hours, but having said that, we should not waste money over something that can wait for the economic recovery. Let us have proper roads and sufficient medication before we can build the houses,” he said. Kwaluseni MP Sibusiso Mabhanisi Dlamini said in as much as the proposed new Parliament building, which went along with the houses for legislators, was a necessity and relevant with the times, the houses could wait.

Attention

Dlamini said in his view, there was a lot that needed attention than the houses. He said the design for the houses could be put aside until the country’s economy stabilised. “Let’s do justice to our economy before we can build houses for legislators. It is true some MPs come from as far as Lavumisa and Lomahasha but Lobamba is central for almost all of us. It is not like one drives from Pigg’s Peak to Lavumisa,” he said. Dlamini added that it was unfortunate that every loan had conditions attached to the proposed project. This, he said, meant that a loan could not be diverted to another project once approved. He said he would have advised that the E800 million be diverted to other priority areas.

The legislator stated that having made his honest opinion, the fact remained that Eswatini was still far behind when compared to other Parliament buildings in the world. “Our Parliament still lacks working equipment. MPs in other countries use software while we are still using hard copies,” he said. Meanwhile, Mkhiweni MP Ndlelayekuphila Masuku said MPs were not to blame for the proposed housing project. He said the housing project was proposed some time ago given that the current structure was not relevant with the present times. He said the current structure was designed for almost 25 MPs back when the country started having its elected MPs. “It is unfortunate that the current structure cannot even accommodate dignitaries whose countries put in money to improve infrastructure. The current structure does not even have enough space at the public gallery which deprives people of their right to follow Parliament proceedings,” he said.

Masuku also mentioned that the proposed housing project would not be waste of money as people might perceive. He said there was a lot of money that was being wasted in unplanned projects. The politician said a lot of money was wasted in the government tendering process and procurement system. “A lot of money is wasted through corruption. I think the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) can play a vital role in ensuring that those who are engaged in corrupt practices are brought to book,” he said. Manzini North MP Macford Sibandze requested not to comment on the issue. “Aseyingengce lena, hamba kulabanye,” he said briefly.

Meanwhile, Mbabane West MP Musa Zwane also requested to comment after having seen the story. The MPs were interviewed after our sister publication, the Times SUNDAY, reported that government was planning to build a residential village which comprised of 120 houses for parliamentarians and other Parliament staff along with the proposed new Parliament building.

A rough estimation by Kukhanyeni MP Malavi Sihlongonyane pointed out that taxpayers might part with about E800 million towards the project. Sihlongonyane was quoted by our sister publication having said his calculation had pointed out that a third of the amount would come from government.

Politicians

It should be noted that even though this project is meant to benefit politicians, it is a fact that government currently has a challenge maintaining houses it built for civil servants. In fact, in 2009, the Ministry of Public Works and Transport assigned consultants to engage in a study that reviewed the costs related to the provision and maintenance of the housing benefit to civil servants, approximated to be E30 million per year, calculated by adding the cost of maintenance, leased houses and municipality rates. The study, at the time, relayed that government was experiencing a shortfall of close to E79 million per year in maintaining housing benefits for civil servants. The study reflected that this amount excluded the cost of rehabilitation and capital projects. Recently, government announced a plan to sell some of the houses and to no longer offer accommodation to civil servants.