King Mswati III of Swaziland does read the newspapers in his kingdom.
This was confirmed by his daughter Princess Sikhanyiso in the Times Sunday today (31 August 2008).
So what? I hear you cry. What’s the big deal?
The point is that the apologists for King Mswati have been saying that he doesn’t know what is going on in Swaziland because his advisers don’t tell him. Even Swaziland’s media believe this.
Only this week the Times of Swaziland on two separate days ran editorials saying that the king must be told the truth.
This week I wrote that to say that the King doesn’t know what is going on in his own kingdom is to insult his intelligence.
The independent newspapers in Swaziland have been reporting constantly about the poverty in the kingdom, the non-existent health service and the crumbling education system. Even if his ‘advisors’ were not telling him the truth, the King could read about the problems himself in the newspapers.
Now, we have confirmation that King Mswati does read the newspapers.
The Times Sunday interviewed the King’s eldest daughter Princess Sikhanyiso, ahead of her 21st birthday this week. The interview is pretty gushing (as might be expected of the media in Swaziland when writing about the monarchy). In the interview the Princess is asked, ‘Tell us about your first kiss’.
To this she replies (Blushing, the newspaper says), ‘Well, I can’t because the king will read this and I do not want him thinking what kind of child did I raise.’
So there you have it. It might seem a trivial point to make but this revelation from the King’s eldest daughter puts to bed the lie that King Mswati doesn’t know what is going on in Swaziland and this is the fault of his advisers.
The truth is the King does know about Swaziland’s problems and we must now ask: what are you going to do about them?
See also
4 comments:
After the above post appeared on the Swaziland Solidarity Network Forum
http://groups.google.com/group/sa-swaziland-solidarity-eom-forum I received (at the forum) these two comments. I have reproduced them here to share with people who only read my posts on the blogsite itself. (Richard)
Comment 1
Does history repeat itself?
Yes, in a way it does. Tsarist Russia is remarkably Similar to the swaziland of today.
I got this quote: It is about Tsarist Russia
The Cossacks are running wild and the peasants cry out, "If only the Czar knew!"--but of course the peasants are wrong, he does know. The Cossacks are conducting pogroms or whatever because that's what the Czar wants. Robert Conquest gives a similar reference in The Great Terror, with a victim of the purges saying, "If only Stalin knew!"
posted by russilwvong at 3:24 PM on January 21
http://ask.metafilter.com/81404/Who-first-said-The-Cossacks-work-for-the-Csar
Yes, Makhosetive certainly does know and what he says goes. As for the media being a part of it, well one expalined it to me thus: "The people who want to know what's happening in Swaziland know who's calling the shots." In other words, if you continue to fall for the idea that it is the king's minions that are to blame then you must have no real desire to understand swazi politics.
Comment 2
Mswati may not be appropriately educated or even naturally
intelligent, but he is not an imbecile either. He simply doesn't have
the foresight to interpret the long-term repercussions of his current
misrule. I have repeatedly gone out on a limb advancing the unpopular
position that Mswati remains directly and personally responsible for
all his adult decisions notwithstanding. Moreso as he personally
handpicks the advisors that the local media blames for his apparent
unawareness or ignorance. That argument simply doesn't hold in and of
itself. The media knowingly takes the easier way out here,
conveniently and irresponsibly cushioning all-powerful Mswati from
direct criticism and shifting the blame to lessor beings or soft
targets who unfortunately have little say in how the country is
governed. They simply take instructions from Mswati and his
traditionalist installers and guardians who call the shots around
here. The Swazi media effectively escapes royal summons and closure,
and continues to make a killing selling poverty-stricken Swazis
non-news, crap that ensures that their plight prevails. The Swazi
media is in this way complicit in the misrule that has characterized
Swaziland for 4 decades..
The King Of Swaziland does infact knows about the Kingdom of Swaziland because it is small country with only 1.1million people living in Swaziland. The Problem with the Dlamini Royal family together with King Mswati 111 and his Advisors is that they are busy disregarding small issues that can help solve the small Kingdoms poverty,AIDS and the unemployment crises that affects the Country Today.The King knows the truth about every single details that continues to disadvantage the majority of the swazi citizens in their own country. Infact if King MSwazti 111 anf the British that continues to Milk the Swazi economy on behalf of the Royal Family would create more jobs for the Swazi citizens in these tiny Kingdom then you will see a prospersous Swazi nation that would'nt be faced with the negativity that they experience today.The King of Swaziland is there to block challenges that the individual citizen of swaziland would face, these is done inorder to continue to block the smart swazi citizens in seeing the light and making a difference that would help solve the few problems that continues to hunt the Kingdom. The working swazi citizens pay taxes to the Government agencies in return the profits of the taxes are then distributed amongst the Royal family and the King himself together with his wives and children.For example the Tibiyo Takangwane is a a royal family department that specializes in conducting business affairs of Swaziland.Infact all the Natural resources that are produced in Swaziland are being marketed by the So called Tibiyo Takangwane to overseas countries. Who benefits from the profits only the Royal family,The king of Swaziland and his brothers and sisters and wives. How about the rest of the Swazi citizens they don't see a dime rather oppressed in their own hard work and labor that they engagt themselves into.Some of These profits are then spread to a few Royal family ofcourse that you see in the universities in America,England and elsewere.If a Swazi citizen would apply for such funds to further his or her studies abroad and elsewere he or she would be denied any financial assistance becuase he or she is not from the royal family or even related to the King.Yet his or her parents worked hard,pay taxes and contributed to the profits of which he or she suppose to be entitled too. The King of Swaziland is seen in overseas countries asking for money that does'nt end up being spread all over the Kingdom to overcome the hardships that the Swazi citizens experience everyday. These funds ends up being enjoyed by the Royal Family, The King himself,His wives,his brothers and siters that are in overseas countries an a few selected individuals in Swaziland.With 1billion Emalangeni, the King of Swaziland can actually overcome the hardship that the Swazi citizens experience everyday. More work can be created for a majority of Swazi's and infact you will never hear about a poor swaziland if the king really wants to help the poor swazi community rather helping himself with the funds that he continue to ask in the name of the Swazi citizens at large.The swazi community is a very informed society that has been created by a good education system from grade 1 up to the university level. The problem is once you complete the univerty level and you are not from the Royal Family or even related to any of the Dlamini clan is Swaziland thats it you are done and you will never have a job in Swaziland.Thats why you find very informed individuals ending up drinking alcohol and not contrinuting to the swazi society not that they indend to but being oppressed in their own land by a system that only allows a few to participate in the Swazi economy. The Swazi community is a peacefull society that loves their King and would be very happy to see His majesty spreading the wealth of the Swazi nation evenly rather focussing on a few individuals and continue to breaking the only hope that the swazi citizens would like to see a better Swaziland tommorrow. With 1 billion Emalangeni from funds donated by the world leaders, the King of Swaziland can solve the Swaziland,poverty,AIDS,unemployment crises and many problems affecting the Kingdom. If I were a prime minister of Swaziland i would use these funds in creeating more employment for the Swazi citizens in the AGRI BUSINESS,build more hospitals in the country, build more sports facilities in the Kingdom,build thre more top High tech universities in SD,upgrade the road system and help the poor Swazi citizens with a welfare system,the rich and the workers supporting those who can't work,build more nonpollutant manufacturing industries, open up the Gold mines in the Game reserve parks in Malolotja,Mlilwane and the diamond mines in at Kadvokolwako,at the same time preserving our nature and taking good care of the wild and animals,help the Swazi community in creating their own business in the big cities of Swaziland rather not spreading the funds to the Royal family and the chosen few just because they are related to the royal family does'nt make sense,a little bit of more tax to corporations but not too much,Free education system from grade1 to 12,stick with the loan programs at the University level and also encourage schorlaships to help student that are in financial need,Open up relief loan programs that would help students to repay their,Loans once they complete their university programs, free health care for all swazi citizens,they would have to pay for their medical prescriptions yet free consultation and care,Publisize the transportation industry the gov owning the bus system and taxi system in Swaziland,build more hotels in the country rather relying on the Royal Swazi Sun, have more hotels in the cities of Swaziland,build more gov and private office towers in the city to be operated and controlled by the gov,encourage a free and fair elections in all gov departmetals, yet at the same time allowing the King of Swaziland to rule and following our culture,tradition and revising the present law system that continues to oppress the Swazi community,encourage an open business economy with the Africa,the West,Europe and to Asia.
Is it true that the Royal Family abroad is just using up the hard working citizens funds to further their studies yet a majority Swazi individuals that are smart are rejected to these Funds? To my knowledge it is true.This what happens, a lot of the royal family that are in overseas countries don't even complete their studies in what they were send for,rather they end up waisting time in these countries by switching into different programs that won't even help make a difference in Swaziland,yet getting allowances every month for about 10 to 15 years.Is it fair to the Swazi individual who has been rejected and wait listed for about 7years not to be given a chance? These needs to be corrected to avoid wasting millions of dollars to people who really does'nt care but knowing that they will always get the funds even though they continue to misuse the funds. The King of Swaziland continues to buy expensive cars for his family,wives,brothers and sisters, and even building more of his expensive palaces yet a majority of the Swazi citizens are in a poverty crises and unemployment problems.were does he gets the funds from,funds that get misused unwisely,these funds comes from international organizations that wants to help the King of Swaziland solve the employment,AIDS AND POVERTY crises that continues to hunt the Kingdom yet used unwisely and irrational.It would be great to see problems solved in Swaziland becuase time is changing and the King should start now to act as soon as possible before its too late. Swaziland is only 1.1 million poppulation and the King is failing to solve the Kingdom poverty,AIDS,UNEMPLOYMENT crises.Why then has he been sending his family to our schools her in the USA,ENGLAND and Europe to fail the Kingdom and misuse the donated funds in the name of the poor Swazi citizens. Swaziland has a a chance in becoming the best Swaziland in Africa if only the King would intervene and let smart advisors to help him manage and use the funds evenly to the Swazi society.Whay are the students from the royal family of swaziland in our schools if they can't even help make a difference in thir own Swazi land.It would be best if these students would be protested against so as to avoid a bad name and reputation of our universities in helping a few corrupt Swazi royal family that would continues with the cycle of oppressing the majority of the Swazi citizens rather than helping to solve problems in their home lands.
How is it possilbe to set your foot in Swaziland even once and not see the poverty?
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