Africa-Press – Eswatini. His Majesty King Mswati III in his Speech from the Throne spoke about the need for the country to start afresh and make this year a season to regain what has been lost, to rebuild what has been destroyed and to restore the peace.
Surely, we would be mistaken to focus all our energy to the unfortunate events of last year and make that as what defines Emaswati.
Personally, I refuse to look at our situation and conclude that it is what defines this nation.
The unfortunate events were just a culmination of many things we grappled with as a country, things His Majesty the King has always raised and urged our government to deal with.
The issues of a sluggish economy, poverty, high levels of youth unemployment in recent years and service delivery have remained issues of concern to authorities to such an extent that the King challenged government to put in place strategies to address them in 2018 at Sibaya.
The June/July unrest came at the time when the country and the world were suffocated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which other than just bringing global trade into a halt also affected the movement of people, as the virus spread quickly through their movements and thereby weakening our health systems, resulting in unprecedented fatalities.
Government had no choice as the world was struggling with the pandemic and in the absence of vaccines, found itself making unpopular decisions, which were seen at the time to be in the best interest of the country.
It was during such a period of suffocation that some elements or so-called pro-democracy groups spread the narrative to paint the Tinkhundla system of governance as being responsible for the crisis.
So called pro-democracy Members of Parliament after the demise of the former Prime Minister Ambrose Mandvulo Dlamini, pointed fingers at the system used in the appointment of a prime minister saying it needed to be reviewed and be subjected into ballot.
That argument gained currency in the period after his demise and for all intent and purposes it first appeared as a suggestion for the 2023 general elections, but later sounded as though aimed at his immediate successor.
Their argument seemed to have suggested that an appointed PM doesnot represent fairly the aspirations of the people.
It is history today that the ‘sponsored’ petitions delivery exercise by the youth to almost all the tinkhundla centres later escalated to unacceptable levels, where some elements appeared to have hijacked an honest activity and militarised their engagements with MPs and threaten those who were not cooperating.
What remains true is that the COVID-19 pressures faced by the Kingdom was not unique to it, but was a global phenomenon, especially in countries where resources to compensate for job losses were not adequate.
First world countries pumped trillions of Emalangeni to assist their people cope, a situation which is quite a challenge for developing countries.
Whatever means that were contributed through donations and other government interventions were not adequate.
So when His Majesty the King delivered his speech last week, he pleaded with Emaswati to understand the challenges we face for what they are, and work very hard to turn them around.
The King accepts that people will always have divergent views on issues, but warned that violence and use of force to influence change is not advisable as we all deserve to live in a peace.
His Majesty the King made it clear that engaging in dialogue creates a better outcome for all, as every person needs advice from time to time.
The King is alive to the fact that in order to deliver a better Eswatini, a lot of hard work needs to be done and urged each and every one to roll up their sleeves and put shoulder to the wheel to make the dream (First World) work.
The question is where do we start? Government needs to lead from the front and demonstrate that we have learnt from our past failures and now they commit to start afresh.
With Finance Minister Neal Rijkenberg delivering his budget speech next Friday, it will show how much government is willing to deliver on His Majesty the King’s call for a fresh start.
Whilst it is said money answers everything, it sometimes fails to respond to all our needs if the public servants and suppliers of government services decides to plunder the public purse.
At times it is not even the plundering, but outright contempt by public servants who have chosen to be politicians and vowed not to be of service to the nation under the current regime.
This is despite being fully aware that their jobs call for them to be apolitical. We expect their employer to remind them of their duty to the nation.
In short, government in its quest to start afresh must not shy away from its core function to govern, which includes making unpopular decisions, so long as they are in the best interest of the country.
The Prime Minister Cleopas Sipho Dlamini was right when he acknowledged in Parliament that the King’s speech was not just directed to a specific group but spoke to all Emaswati.
However, we expect government to lead from the front and urge all its agencies not to undermine the King’s good efforts.
The three arms of government; Executive, Legislature and Judiciary must reflect on their input and improve on the areas in which they have not performed well.
This also speaks to government agencies, who by their actions have continued to frustrate government’s initiatives by being lax or none committal.
If we really want to attain our First World status target, every one of us must put in a shift in order to speed our recovery process.
To the pro-democracy groups, they must know that if they still have a hangover of the June/July unrest wishes, they are going to be alone in that space.
Their rhetoric and actions on the ground do not inspire any hope for a peaceful future hence they are on a lonely journey.
Emaswati need leadership and His Majesty the King has been open and upfront about the way forward.
Any elements of violence and force to influence change will not be welcomed and the security cluster will ensure that the country does not descent into that chaos, which claimed lives and destroyed properties.
Those who claim Sibaya as a forum for an honest dialogue has failed, we present the National Constitution as a product of that inclusive process. Emaswati as a principle refuse to engage in divisive processes of THEM against US, but have always stood together to look for possible solutions affecting their collective well-being.
Tinkhundla as a political philosophy and system refuses to divide Emaswati along political inclinations, yet accepts that people may not see things from the same stand point, hence learn from each other’s experiences.
This together with being a unitary society with single culture and language count amongst our strengths.
One of the Kingdom’s neighbours, with almost the same traits, but different political system, has struggled to maintain peace ever since it elected to remove the king from exercising executive functions but reduced him into a ceremonial role. The Kingdom of Eswatini has over centuries and in recent years survived regional political upheavals with the King playing a pivotal role.
History favours the key role played by the institution of the Monarch in maintaining unity, peace and stability.
This is the reason when the King speaks, Emaswati listen. He has shown the way, we hope everybody else will do the same.
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