The Swaziland Government refused to take part in an internationally televised programme to defend itself against accusations that Swaziland is not a democracy and is instead ruled by an autocratic king who is out of step with the aspirations of his people.
Instead, the government demanded (and will get) airtime without opposition people present to put forward its own view of what life is like in Swaziland.
The programme called African Views, broadcast by the South African-based channel SABC Africa, went out live on Thursday (12 June 2008) and was repeated the next day. People in Swaziland who subscribe to DSTV satellite television were able to receive the programme.
Among the four panellists on the programme were representatives of PUDEMO (an organisation banned in Swaziland), the Swaziland Solidarity Network, and a member of the Young Communist League.
It is no surprise that the Swaziland Government chickened out and refused to appear. It is not used to having to defend itself on the airwaves. Most broadcasting in Swaziland is state controlled and the part that isn’t, such as Channel Swazi (Channel S), supports the monarchy and the status quo in Swaziland.
The makers of African Views said the Swazi government would be given a programme to itself (with the regular presenter of the programme in the chair) to give its point of view before the end of this month or early next month.
Personally, I think the makers of African Views should not run the programme. If the Swazi Government doesn’t have the courage to face its critics, that’s its problem. Can you imagine an internationally respected news organisation such as CNN, the BBC, or Aljazerra (channels that are also broadcast on DSTV) allowing the Swazi Government to get away with such a thing?
The government may regret not being on the programme because those who did take part gave a lucid account of how undemocratic Swaziland is. This was a rare chance for people in Swaziland to hear views that cannot be aired on radio or television by Swazi-based broadcasters.
Here are some of the points viewers to African Views heard.
The international community has condemned Swaziland’s rulers for arresting and torturing political activists.
King Mswati III is above the law in Swaziland because the new Swazi Constitution allows him to overrule any law that he wished. There is ‘no will of the people’ in Swaziland, no democracy and the king decides everything.
The elections due to be held later this year are ‘toy elections’, because political parties are banned. In 2003 at the last elections in Swaziland election observers from the Commonwealth said the elections were a mockery because the parliament that was being elected had no powers. This situation has not changed with the new constitution.
There was a call on the programme for the international community not to go to Swaziland to ‘observe’ this year’s election because to do so would give the vote an undeserved legitimacy.
The Royal Proclamation of 1973 that suspended democracy is still in force in Swaziland. If the decree were lifted and political parties allowed, there might be some reason to call this year’s elections ‘free’.
People in Swaziland are told that democracy is ‘unSwazi’ and the ruling elites camouflage the strict political control that exists in the kingdom by saying this is the correct cultural, or traditional way, of doing things in Swaziland. Anything else is ‘foreign.’
Meanwhile, the chiefs, described as ‘the king’s Boy Scouts’, keep the 70 percent of Swaziland’s population who live in rural areas under strict control. Women have no rights in the rural areas and under traditional law a five-year-old boy has more legal rights than an adult woman.
Panellists called on the international community to put more pressure on Swaziland to transform itself into a modern democracy. But it was also recognised that Swazi people have to do things for themselves. Swazis must determine what kind of Swaziland they want.
So, as you can see, the Swazi government missed its chance to defend itself. I suspect they realised they had no chance of winning. If they had turned up and this had been a soccer match they would have suffered a 10-nil defeat.
What a pity that SABC Africa is going to give the Swazi Government the chance of a replay. And without a team to play against next time it will be a whitewash for the government.
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