Africa-Press – Eswatini. Five MPs have been selected to present a humble address to His Majesty King Mswati III, thanking him for the speech he delivered on the occasion of the State Opening of the First Session of the 12th Parliament.
The motion to present the address to His Majesty was moved by Prime Minister Russell Dlamini.
Dlamini said His Majesty the King’s address was not only comprehensive and well-articulated, but it was also people-centred.
“It gave us a clear policy direction to follow as we embark on this journey of serving the nation,” he said.
Dlamini said His Majesty touched on several critical challenges that confront the nation, at the heart of which were the submissions made by Emaswati during the Sibaya People’s Parliament in October and November last year.
“His Majesty was very candid when addressing these issues, which are cross-cutting, and which all directly impact on the livelihoods and wellbeing of Emaswati,” Dlamini said.
He said His Majesty gave hope that the economy has the potential to grow to sustainable levels. He also left them with a huge challenge – that of continuing to rally their efforts behind ensuring that the economy grows to significant proportions.
“This requires all of us to think outside the box and come up with solutions that will ensure that we do not, even for a second, allow our economy to falter,” he said.
He said they noted with appreciation His Majesty’s challenge for government to establish a Stabilisation Fund, which would serve as a precautionary measure for potential future declines from external revenue sources.
“His Majesty further charged us to establish a Disaster Management Fund, which will improve disaster preparedness and response,” Dlamini said.
The PM said His Majesty spoke very strongly when charging government to strengthen the health sector, in order to ensure that no Liswati dies from lack of proper healthcare services.
Dlamini said one Liswati life lost was one too many.
He said they had to ensure that all Emaswati are able to access affordable quality healthcare at all times.
The PM said His Majesty hit the nail on the head when he emphasised the role of quality education and skills development in paving the country’s path to the shared prosperity that Eswatini has envisioned.
“In our bid to create quality employment opportunities, Mr Speaker, we do need quality education.
Over and above that, Mr Speaker, we need to inculcate a culture of patriotism and strengthen our curriculum to ensure that every Liswati student gets to know and appreciate our Tinkhundla ideology from a young age,” Dlamini said.
The PM said another key take-away from His Majesty’s speech was his call for the reduction of Eswatini’s dependency on imported energy, which requires significant investments into local energy generation.
He said His Majesty also challenged them to invest in innovation, as the country shifted from a resource-based to a knowledge-based economy.
“The world is evolving, and Eswatini needs to catch up, hence the need for a strong National System of Innovation as per His Majesty’s call,” Dlamini said.
He said His Majesty further challenged them to confront the scourge of gender-based violence heads-on.
“His Majesty made it clear that this will require a change of attitude from all of us to an attitude that will foster cultural change and promote equality for all,” he said.
Dlamini said it was clear that the task ahead was huge and that they would have failed Their Majesties, and the nation, if they did not run with accelerated speed to address these issues.
“The onus now lies with this honourable House and government in its different structures to work together to ensure that His Majesty’s vision for a first world Eswatini is fulfiled,” he said.
The MPs who will present the address to His Majesty:
n Hhohho MP Tanele Magagula
n Mtfongwaneni MP Nathi Hlophe
n Appointed MP Prince Mshengu
n Zombodze Emuva MP Ntando Mkhonta
n Appointed MP Nkosingumenzi Dlamini.
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