Anyone looking at the Swazi news media over the past week or so could not have missed the news that one of Swaziland’s ‘greatest friends’ has left the kingdom.
I refer to the Taiwanese Ambassador to Swaziland Leonard ‘Mashesha’ Chao who bade farewell at a ‘highly emotional’ luncheon, according to the Swazi Observer, the newspaper in effect owned by King Mswati III, sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch.
In the UK where I come from ‘highly emotional’ is a code for drunk as skunks but I don’t believe the Observer meant it that way.
Instead, we were told that Chao received a standing ovation from guests and that Barnabas Dlamini, the illegally-appointed prime minister of Swaziland, was in attendance; although the Observer didn’t say the ‘illegally-appointed’ bit.
In a separate article, the Observer said Chao ‘expressed his profound pain at saying goodbye to Swaziland’. He then gave 100 bags (30 kg) of rice to Good Shepherd hospital and 10 bags to Kwaluseni care point.
The Taiwanese always get good media coverage in Swaziland and let’s face it they put in the effort. They really want to be friends with Swaziland. So they spend a lot of time and money making it so.
Swazi journalists have been feted and as a result articles appear all over the newspapers. In September 2007 the Times Sunday had a full page ‘post card’ from the newspaper’s editor who was being hosted in Taiwan. Unsurprisingly, he wrote he was having a marvellous time. Mbongeni Mbingo said, ‘I was overwhelmed by the reception I received from the hosts, from the foreign office to everyone at the amazing hotels I have been booked into.’
I had a flavour of this myself when I wrote a blog critical of Taiwan. Before you could say Chicken Chow Mein my office was full of fellows from the embassy smoozing away wanting to take me out to dinner and meet the ambassador etc. Don’t worry, I’ve been a journalist for 30 years and I know there’s no such thing as a free meal: I didn’t go.
The truth is Taiwan isn’t a true friend of Swaziland: the relationship is based on political expediency. Taiwan wants to join the United Nations and Swaziland has a vote that could be used to support it. Because the People’s Republic of China (‘mainland’ China) doesn’t want Taiwan in the UN, few countries support Taiwan. Those, like Swaziland, that do, get ‘friendship’, usually in the form of development aid or nice hotel trips for newspaper editors.
The Taiwanese have had notable successes persuading Swazi journalists they should support Taiwan because it is fighting an undemocratic neighbour (People’s Republic of China). The irony that Swaziland is not itself a democracy is lost on the Swazi journalists.
Taiwan in not a true friend of Swaziland; once countries no longer offer their support to it then it’s goodbye to friendship.
That’s what happened to Malawi in March 2008 when it decided to support the People’s Republic of China. Taiwan immediately punished Malawi for this by withdrawing its aid from the country, regardless of how much suffering this would cause.
Instead, Taiwan transferred what should have gone to Malawi and gave it to Swaziland.
As I said in 2008, Swaziland should choose its friends wisely. Taiwan is not a ‘friend’. Taiwan is using Swaziland for all it can get. Should Swaziland decide to follow Malawi’s example and support the People’s Republic of China that will be the end of the friendship.
So, let’s be honest and recognise that all the money and goods and services that Taiwan is supplying to Swaziland at the moment are not gifts among friends.
Put simply, they are bribes to buy Swaziland’s support.
No comments:
Post a Comment