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WE’RE RELUCTANT TO ELECT MP AS THEY ARE ARRESTED - RESIDENTS

06/03/2023 08:48:00 Sithembile Hlatshwayo

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MBABANE – “We now fear and are reluctant to elect a Member of Parliament (MP) as they are arrested for representing the will of the people.”

It would seem some Fonteyn residents under Mbabane East Constituency share similar sentiments with those from Nkhaba when it comes to the arrest of legislators. The Fonteyn residents shared their sentiments during the civic voter education exercise, which was conducted by the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC), yesterday. When speakers made their submissions, community members made a round of applause to show that they were in agreement with what was being said. One of those who made a submission was former executive Director at CANGO Emmanuel Ndlangamandla, who said they were now unwilling to elect an MP to represent them as they (legislators) ended up being arrested. He commended EBC for a good administrative job, but stated that Eswatini was now the only country that did not elect a government into office. “It is fine that we elect an MP but it is not enough as they do not form government,” he said.

Voted

Ndlangamandla stated that they would have at least understood if the MPs were able to elect the prime minister and ministers instead of being led by people they had not voted for into office. He also mentioned that after the civic voter education exercise and final election of the aspiring MPs, emaSwati would suffer for the next five years. Furthermore, he added that after nominating the MP, he or she was required to campaign yet they did not have resources and were looking to their first salary when they got into Parliament. He said they were wondering whether they should demand the MPs to use their own salaries to attend to projects in the communities as they had no roads, among other things. Ndlangamandla stated that the municipalities and government were also sleeping on the job and failing to deliver on their mandate. “Hospitals do not have drugs, there are also no scholarships for our children who are idling at home,” said Ndlangamandla. He said the system of voting for various positions in the country was not working as peoples’ lives remained the same and were getting worse off.

According to the resident, voting was not a routine, but changing peoples’ lives. “Anything that does not change the peoples’ lives cannot be referred to as elections,” he added. He said during the civic education exercise, they were told that they should sit with their MPs and state their concerns but when they sent them on their behalf, they were arrested. Ndlangamandla said another MP was in exile, while others were arrested for reportedly representing the will of the people. As he touched on the issue of the MPs, most of the people present would give him a round of applause, with some nodding in agreement. Zakhele Gama reiterated Ndlangamandla’s sentiments. Gama said the nation needed change. He said in the Constitution, they were given a right to change and amend it as and when it was necessary. He alleged that they were not enjoying that right as people were being taken for granted by the regime.

Budget

Gama said EBC was promoting a system of governance that was not people centred, such that it allowed a minister to pass a budget in Parliament with a hotel project would cost over E300 million, knowing very well that in six years, the same project would be costing E7 billion. He said the same nation was paying E7 billion in taxes, which was directed to the hotel project which would not change the peoples’ lives in any way. This, Gama said, was happening because EBC was promoting a system that did not work for the people. Gama advised the EBC team to forward their submissions to their authorities in the serious matter in which they were presented to them. Gama said they would have appreciated if the EBC team provided the communities with the Constitution before coming to educate them.

He said currently, a number of people were not conversant with the Constitution because government had no respect for the people and took them for granted. Gama said in the five years of office, EBC had failed to even print 20 000 copies of the Constitution for the people to read and understand to make the civic education easy. “The Constitution, which is one of the tools that the EBC works with is not owned by the people,” said Gama.

Oversight

On another hand, Jabulani Shiba wanted to know from the EBC officials of the person who played an oversight role, as EBC said they were an agent. Shiba said they knew very well that EBC was not an agent but had powers. He said there was an institution that had taken over the justice system and Parliament. He pleaded with EBC to have a conscience and not leave the nation to suffer and not only align their pockets. Shiba said the hospitals in the country did not have drugs and there were no scholarships, yet they were being educated on elections. He said EBC should also feel the pain of emaSwati. In response, Chief Mawandla Gamedze from the EBC said their wish was for the people to elect their MPs who would represent them in Parliament. He said as EBC they wished that if the communities elected their representatives, they should serve them.