SWAZI MPS REGRET THEIR TERROR ACT

Even the Swazi Members of Parliament who passed the Suppression of Terrorism Act regret doing so.

For many of the MPs it’s a bad dream they would quickly like to forget.

This is according to Times of Swaziland Managing Editor Martin Dlamini.

Writing in his own newspaper today (21 November 2008), Dlaimini says, ‘there is evidently deep regret that they were party to the formulation of a draconian law that provides unlimited powers to authorities to arrest and detain based on mere suspicion amongst other things’.

Dlamini says that the Suppression of Terrorism Bill was brought to the Swaziland Parliament by former Prime Minister Themba Dlamini with a certificate of urgency and it was passed by the legislators based on a promise that it would not be targeted at political formations or certain individuals.

The urgency meant that the Bill would not be published in a government gazette for the normal 30 days where it would have received due scrutiny from members of the public.

At the time some MPs questioned the spirit of the Bill, expressing fear that it appeared to be directed at certain individuals.

Dlamini writes, ‘The questioning, however, lacked proper research and argument. The MPs entrusted the PM’s portfolio committee with this task.

‘The committee was led by king’s appointee Moi Moi Masilela whose stand on the progressive formations or any critic of the Tinkhundla System of Governance is well documented in the country's history.

‘Just the mere mention of the name Moi Moi sends shivers down the spines of many locals so a rejection of the Bill was probably highly unlikely.

‘When motivating the House to adopt the report Moi Moi’s committee managed to sweet talk the MPs into believing that the Bill is not made in haste to target certain formations in Swaziland but is enacted for the good of the country.

Last Friday, the present Prime Minister Barnabas Dlamini branded four political formations ‘terrorist organisations’ and Mario Masuku, the president of the People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO), was charged with making statements in support of terrorist groups. It is now expected that there will be further arrests of pro-democracy activists who oppose the Swazi regime.

So much for the assurances of Themba Dlamini: the lesson must be don’t trust the ruling elite and their supporters.