SWAZI KING SENDS LOSER TO SENATE

Never let it be said that Swaziland’s King Mswati III doesn’t look after his own.

In the recent national elections the people did not elect Anthony Khephu Cindzi to parliament for the Lobamba Constituency.

Hard luck Cindzi, that’s democracy for you.

But wait. Swaziland has a ‘unique’ democracy so there is life in Cindzi yet.

The king has appointed Cindzi, described by the Times of Swaziland as a ‘staunch traditionalist’, to the Senate. The king appoints 20 members of the Senate and MPs appoint another ten. None of them are elected by the people.

Chief Gija Dlamini, chair of the Elections and Boundaries Commission and the man tasked with overseeing the elections, sees nothing wrong in this. He told the Times, (23 October 2008) ‘it was not true that the people who crashed in the elections were not eligible to be engaged by the Head of State [the king]’.

Or put another way: the king doesn’t care if the people rejected someone for office. If the reject is a ‘staunch traditionalist’ he gets in.

According to the Times, ‘During the election of the 10 senators, a fortnight ago, some wet-behind the ears Members of Parliament were against the election of the losers.’

I guess those ‘wet behind the ears’ MPs will soon learn.

See also

SWAZI KING KEEPS IT IN THE FAMILY