Africa-Press – Eswatini. Everyone’s favourite orator Martin Luther King Jr once said, “You are not only responsible for what you say, but also for what you do not say.”
The American human rights defender was discouraging us from sitting on the fence and not being clear about what we believe in or how we feel.
Dealing with people who sit on the fence when there are serious issues to be discussed or decided, is very frustrating. However, in some cases, people do not say anything, simply because they are afraid, as it was the case in our country at the height of the social unrest between 2021 and 2022.
There were just too many threats and intimidation going around.
As journalists, we are often criticised for to being too quick to criticise or condemn wrongdoing, but when that individual or entity does something good, we simply ignore and move on to the next negative situation, where we then write condemnation articles until our fingers bleed. I felt that today, I should give credit where it is due. Since the beginning of the year, Cabinet, individually and as a team, has made it a point to keep the nation in the loop, as far as their plans and decisions are concerned.
Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini himself, has a vibrant Facebook page on which he gives regular highlights of what he is doing in office – in his own words, not those of a spokesperson. This is a first and should be commended.
Willingness
Of course, you cannot please everyone, as was the case when government announced that it would not fund the second cohort of first-year students at the University of Eswatini (UNESWA). This is despite the fact that the university has shown willingness to discuss this matter and reach a compromise.
The Ministry of Education put its foot down, saying government would only fund the first-year students who have already been admitted to commence their studies in August 2024.
This means candidates currently waiting for their O-level results will have to wait until the 2025/2026 academic year to register. The delay in processing allowances for government-sponsored students in colleges and universities across the country was also an unwelcome occurrence. Many emaSwati condemned this, wondering why government always placed education on the back burner, while other expenditure areas are given priority.
It was a relief on Friday, when the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, under which scholarships are administered, announced that the long wait was over. Principal Secretary (PS) Makhosini Mndawe advised affected students that payments had already commenced. There is also a bit of discontentment from the public, regarding government’s response to the hailstorm that struck Ngculwini and other areas in the Shiselweni region a month ago.
This hailstorm left 4 357 households and many vehicles severely damaged. Some of those affected are still sleeping in houses with leaking roofs and broken windows. The swift action taken to assess the damage led to 2 532 households getting immediate relief in the form of tarpaulins, corrugated iron roof sheets and window panes. Unfortunately, as a second storm hit Matsapha, Manzini and surrounding areas on Thursday, some of those affected by the December 8, 2023 storm were still waiting for relief.
The consolation we all have is that there are a lot of positives happening behind the scenes within government structurers. In fact, it is not even accurate that things are happening behind the scenes because for the first time ever, the nation is being kept abreast of most of the service delivery issues affecting them.
Passionately
On the very same Friday, Minister of Public Works and Transport Chief Ndlaluhlaza spoke passionately about government’s commitment to conduct its business with fairness. He was speaking when he commissioned the construction of two new roads in Ndzangu, near Sigangeni and Tikhuba, worth E74 million combined. The minister spoke from the heart, as he clarified that there was no monopoly of jobs in the construction industry. He said government always selected construction companies based on merit and their capability to undertake and complete a certain project. Chief Ndlaluhlaza said it was not true that some companies always got preference on government tenders, to the detriment of others they are competing with.
This clarification was necessary because public perception is indeed that some companies are preferred government suppliers. Come to think of it, the very fact that government has embarked on a number of rural road rehabilitation projects deserves to be celebrated. That said, the issue that really touched my heart in the past week, was the revelation that government had decided to stop hiring vehicles from private companies, unless it was an emergency.
Government announced that 31 vehicles worth about E20 million had been bought, as part of the plan to purchase 1 000 cars per year. It looks like government has finally listened to the advice of economists and general members of the public, who have been calling for an end to the hiring of vehicles at up to E3 500 per day for each. Thulani Mkhaliphi, the PS in the Ministry of Public Works, admitted that buying cars was cheaper. It was also pleasing to read that the Central Transport Administration (CTA) would no longer be fully responsible for the procurement and management of the government’s fleet of vehicles, as this will be outsourced.
Concerned
Still on the same subject, one should laud the decision to start allocating government vehicles according to the needs and duties of the concerned departments. One wonders why nobody ever thought of this before, as we constantly see government officials driving around in expensive double-cab vehicles, when they are running simple errands around town. Such cars should be reserved for the Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Public Works and Transport and the police.
Lastly, as Cabinet goes on its three-day retreat beginning today and ending on Wednesday, January 17, 2024, we hope they will come up with the promised programme of action for the next five years, as well as the long-term grand plan for the country. We hope this grand plan will not remain on paper like previous strategic plans drafted by former administrations, only for them to never see the light of day.
Source: times
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