Swaziland Coalition of Concerned Civic Organisations’
Response to the King's Speech at the Opening of Parliament
The Swaziland Coalition of Concerned Civic Organisations (SCCCO) welcomes the King’s Speech and its emphasis on renewal.
Renewal has many facets, one is to reaffirm existing commitments or promises, another is to replace something that is worn out or no longer suitable for use. The first and most common definition is to begin something again. The Coalition sincerely hopes that the theme of renewal is about replacing the old and the worn, the tired and the ineffective and beginning again. This must start with the recognition that the old ways need to be changed.
The first renewal must be the process that formed Parliament. Tinkhundla elections have no effect on the choice of the Government of the Kingdom of Swaziland or its policies. This parliament was formed without regard to the needs of the country. It has no direction, vision, mandate or accountability. It remains a fig-leaf for the sham democracy that is Swaziland.
When the people cannot choose their government, it simply cannot be called a democracy.
The pomp and ceremony surrounding the opening of parliament is a smokescreen to disguise what is essentially a hollow act. The Commonwealth Experts’ report on the elections that put this parliament in place said it best. ‘We cannot therefore conclude that the entire [electoral] process was credible.’
The report also said that a mechanism should be established to elevate His Majesty beyond the turbulence of politics. His delving into the details of budgets is a move in the wrong direction. That is properly a matter for debate between the Minister of Finance and Parliament, not the Head of State.
What we as civil society note on the Speech from the Throne is not what His Majesty said, but what he did not say. He gave no commitments to upholding the letter and spirit of the Constitution or the Rule of Law.
He never mentioned that his government would renew its commitment to Human Rights found in the Bill of Rights and other places. He gave no commitment to setting up the Human Rights Commission. He does not mention or even allude to the demands from Political Parties for dialogue, he remains quiet on the demands from the Trade Unions for responsible and positive engagement.
He was utterly silent on the status of women in the country. He gave no commitment to reviewing the Suppression of Terrorism Act.
Thankfully there is no mention either of ‘throttling’. This was an opportunity to distance himself from that particular statement, his silence leads us to believe that it remains top of his government’s unwritten agenda.
We are with him when he talks of a peaceful country, but for peace to be real it must be based on justice for all, not privileges for a few. It must be based on the needs of all the people of Swaziland not just the powerful and the well connected. It must be based on respect, not founded in fear.
So we welcome the spirit of renewal. Let us renew the Constitution so that we have a democracy where the people choose their government based on policies as well as personalities. Let us renew Parliament so that Political Parties are welcomed there.
Let us renew our laws and our police force so that they respect human rights. Let us renew our attitude to the women of our society so that they are no longer treated as chattels and second class citizens. Let us renew our attitude to dissenters so that their views are considered. Let us renew our version of democracy so that the people can choose their own government.
His Majesty will find that in doing these things that his vision for Swaziland as a happy, peaceful and prosperous country will be achieved more quickly, more easily and more harmoniously.
When you involve people, you get their best ideas. When you free them from fear, you get their best efforts. When hard work is rewarded with fair pay, you get wealth generation.
When his government encourages, enables and protects the many not the few, the brave not the cowardly, and the honest not the corrupt, he will see an unimaginable renewal of Swaziland.
Bishop Meshak Mabuza +
Chair
Swaziland Coalition of Concerned Civic Organisations
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