SWAZILAND MP WANTS LEGAL PARTIES

The call from a newly-elected Swaziland Member of Parliament that political parties should be made legal in the kingdom has raised heated debate.

Marwick Khumalo called upon King Mswati III, working through the government, to enact legislation that would legalise political parties.

His call comes after official observers at last month’s elections in Swaziland said that the kingdom should move towards democracy.

According to yesterday’s Times of Swaziland (7 October 2008), Khumalo said the time had come for Swaziland to transform into a truly democratic state.

‘These changes are necessitated more so by the fact that Swaziland, through the king, now chairs the SADC (Southern African Development Community) political, defence and security organ. We are also members of the African Union Peace and Security Council. By virtue of our membership there we are expected to conform to democratic principles,’ the newspaper quoted Khumalo saying.

The report sparked intense anger from readers when it was posted on to the Times’ website. Some readers condemned Khumalo as undemocratic and a danger to Swaziland. There is a clear feeling among those leaving comments that political parties are the equivalent of terrorist organisations. There is a fear, and I have to say an ignorance, of what political parties actually are.

Not all comments are hostile; some recognise the need for democratic change in Swaziland and welcome it.

One of the most striking aspects of the discussion is the lack of facts used. Those who are against parties claim that as many as 90 percent of the Swazi population don’t want them. Incidentally, you often see such statistics quoted. As I reported on Sunday (5 October 2008) the truth is that we just don’t know what people think about political parties (and much else besides) because we never ask them.

Anyone who is paying attention knows that the undemocratic nature of Swaziland politics is becoming a hot issue both inside Swaziland itself and in the international community at large. It is time that we had a sensible, factually-based, debate on political parties. Knowing the track record of the University of Swaziland (UNISWA) when it comes to dealing with controversial topics, I hesitate to suggest that it hosts a conference on the topic.

But if we can’t trust Swaziland’s only university to take up the task maybe there’s an NGO out there willing to have a go.

See also

SWAZI PRINCE DEFENDS PARTY BAN