Media in Swaziland are too meek when it comes to giving King Mswati III advice.
There is no straight talking, even on matters of huge national importance.
At a World Media Freedom Day meeting held in the Swazi capital Mbabane last week media folk said they should be brave and tell the king what is going on in his own kingdom.
I was reminded of the truth of this on Friday (9 May 2008) by an article in the Times of Swaziland by the newspaper’s managing editor, Martin Dlamini.
Dlamini wants the 40/40 celebration scheduled for later this year called off because Swaziland can’t afford it. The 40/40 is a double celebration to mark the king’s 40th birthday and also the 40th anniversary of Swaziland’s independence from Britain.
Dlamini thinks that E50 million (about 7 million US Dollars) is too high a price to pay when living standards in the kingdom are at an all time low.
But Dlamini – like all other media people in Swaziland - isn’t allowed to tell the king the truth. Instead, he has to pussyfoot around and hope that someone other than the media will point out to him the reality of the situation.
Dlamini said this in his Just Thinking column, ‘Who, of all the wise men and women in this country [Swaziland], would dare approach the king to humbly request His Majesty to consider staggering these celebrations over the coming years until such time as we can really afford them?’
I note that Dlamini believes that the very act of approaching the king is something to be done ‘humbly’. Doesn’t this statement alone show how really out of touch people are making the king?
If the king reads the Times – and judging by the fuss he made last year (2007) when the Times Sunday reported that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) thought the king’s lavish lifestyle was putting off foreign support – he, or his underlings (‘bootlickers’ Dlamini calls them in his article) certainly do, then he will already know what the problems over 40/40 are.
Dlamini set them out clearly in his article. Here’s what he had to say:
‘Living standards have dropped considerably. The gap between rich and poor has risen sharply and there are no indications yet that the situation could change anytime soon.
‘In the year of our 40th anniversary, we certainly need to take time to look back at our gains and our losses. One matter that needs serious attention is how this country has utilised its resources and how best she can invest the little that’s left for a better tomorrow.
‘The country’s statistics suggest that 70 percent of this population lives below the poverty line which means there is a great need to get the bigger part of this population out of misery.
‘These are the people to be thought of each time we have a little extra cash to spend.
‘For the 70 percent of the population, the celebration is meaningless because there is no guarantee they will have food on the table the next day. Even if there was, they are tired of living on handouts.
‘What would be a cause to celebrate independence for them is a day in their lives where the millions of Emalengeni have been pumped into genuine or effective community development projects that would make them independent of food aid, not the cosmetic projects or funding under the Regional Development Fund that has become a source of corruption for its administrators.’
Personally, I think Dlamini is right; the 40/40 celebrations should be put on hold. The cost is inappropriate at a time when about 600,000 people in Swaziland (out of a population of less than one million) have to rely on internationally donated food aid to stop from starving.
If the celebrations do go ahead, King Mswati III will once again be reviled in the eyes of the international community for spending money irresponsibly. He will also be seen to be out of touch with the realities of life in his own kingdom. This will do him immense personal harm and it will also damage Swaziland because it will make international donors reluctant to do business with the kingdom (something the IMF has already identified as happening).
There is still time to stop this happening, if someone would tell the king the truth. Humbly, or otherwise.
See also
SWAZILAND MEDIA FREEDOM DAY
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