EU TELLS SWAZI KING 'MAKE CHANGES'

The European Union (EU) has told Swaziland’s King Mswati III he should take the lead in moving the kingdom to democracy.

An EU delegation in Swaziland has backed the Phadimisa Bokamoso ba Africa- led campaign for full democracy in the kingdom, ruled by King Mswati, sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch.

King Mswati snubbed a three-day convention on democracy held in Swaziland last weekend (29 – 31 July 2011).

Amadou Traoré, EU Chargé d’Affaires to Swaziland, said EU fully supported the process that led to political talks on Swaziland facilitated by Phadimisa Bokamoso ba Africa.

Traore said the EU delegation would take civil society organisations’ demand for dialogue, as requested, to the Swazi Government.

‘But these discussions you are calling for on the future of your country must be an only Swazi affair. It is not for any foreign individual or organisation to interfere in this process.

This is your country; the EU cannot and will not do the work for you or in your place,’ the Times of Swaziland reported him saying.

Traoré said civil society organisations needed to convince their authorities the time for building a new Swaziland had indeed come. He said the advances contained in the Constitution on the freedom of association and the bill of rights, just to name a few provisions, should be fully implemented, the Times reported.

‘But more importantly you also need to convince your fellow citizens that this is the only way forward in a rapidly changing continent where people from Morocco to Egypt and youths from Senegal to Malawi are taking to the streets to defend their democratic rights to have more say in the running of their countries,’ he said.

See also

DEMOCRATIC SWAZILAND CONVENTION

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2011/07/democratic-swaziland-convention.html

UNIONS QUIT SWAZI DEMOCRACY TALKS

AFP

30 July 2011

SOURCE

Swaziland civil society democracy talks stumble

MBANANE, Swaziland — Talks on democratic reforms in Africa's last absolute monarchy stumbled TODAY (30 July 2011) as the Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions, the country's largest labour group, walked out of a civil society meeting.

The ‘national convention’, which opened yesterday, aimed to bring together civil society groups to map out how the small southern African kingdom could begin negotiations toward multi-party democracy.

But the labour federation argued King Mswati III -- who snubbed the gathering after being invited to deliver an opening address -- had not shown a commitment to dialogue.

‘Our position is that the king has refused to entertain the question of dialogue. He said this as recently as last year. It would appear that instead of strengthening our mass power we are busy talking dialogue, a language that the king refuses to embrace,’ said national organiser Fundizwi Sikhondze.

Sikhondze said unions would rather return to the streets to resume the demonstrations that have shaken Swaziland in recent months.

Pro-democracy groups, AIDS activists and unions have staged unprecedented protests across the impoverished kingdom since April, complaining about an economic meltdown that is threatening the livelihoods of the country's 1.2 million people.

Swaziland is battling to stay solvent after last year losing 60 percent of its revenues from a regional customs union, the government's main source of income.

The government has frozen public-sector salaries and asked unions to accept pay cuts, leading to mass protests that have been violently put down by security forces.

Growing public resentment has lent momentum to calls for Mswati to step down.

The king -- whose fortune is estimated at $100 million -- is famous for his jet-set lifestyle and lavish spending on his 13 wives, each of whom has her own palace.

See also

SWAZI KING SNUBS DEMOCRACY TALKS

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2011/07/swazi-king-snubs-democracy-talks.html

DEMOCRATIC SWAZILAND CONVENTION

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2011/07/democratic-swaziland-convention.html

WILL COPS SMASH DEMOCRACY TALKS?

The Council of Swaziland Churches has filed in an urgent application at the High Court to stop Swazi police closing down the three-day democracy convention being held in the kingdom this weekend.

The police successfully halted a previous meeting called by the organisers in March this year.

The Council wants the High Court to instruct the police it must allow the convention, which started yesterday (29 July 2011), to go ahead unmolested.

Specifically, the Council wants the court to issue an order ‘restraining the police from interrupting and interfering with the free movement of delegates and other invited guests and individuals for the purposes of participating in the meeting.’

The Council cites Section 26 of the Swaziland Constitution on freedom of movement in its action.

The convention is to allow civil society groups to discuss how Swaziland, ruled by King Mswati III, sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch, can be transformed into a democracy.

The Council and the South African-based NGO Phadimisa Bokamoso BaAfrica are engaged in a process they are calling Talks About Talks.

On 18 March, 2011, during the consultation process with civil society, the Swaziland Police stormed the meeting and demanded to know the agenda.

Police insisted that the meeting was being held unlawfully as no permission had been sought from the Commissioner of Police and the meeting had to be called off.

Khangeziwe Dlamini, General Secretary of the Council, said the Swaziland police have already said it wanted to stop and prevent this weekend’s meeting from proceeding as they did with the previous one.

See also

SWAZI KING SNUBS DEMOCRACY TALKS

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2011/07/swazi-king-snubs-democracy-talks.html

DEMOCRATIC SWAZILAND CONVENTION

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2011/07/democratic-swaziland-convention.html

SWAZI KING SNUBS DEMOCRACY TALKS

AFP

29 July 2011

SOURCE

Mswati snubs democracy talks

Mbabane - Swazi King Mswati III turned down an invitation to attend talks today (29 July 2011)\on democratic reforms organised by civic society, including banned political movements and labour unions, officials said.

"We had invited the king as the head of state to officially open the event but we received communication that he won't attend," said Khangezile Dlamini, secretary of the Council of Churches.

"But that does not mean we won't continue," Dlamini told AFP.

The "national convention" was opening today with the main talks due on Saturday, aiming to map out a direction on how Africa's last absolute monarchy can begin negotiations towards democracy.

Dlamini said Swaziland needed a transition to democracy and therefore civic society groups had taken the initiative to give government a blueprint of how the country could achieve multi-party democracy.

"We see this as an opportunity for civic groups to meet and draw out a road map on how the country could begin the process of political negotiations," she said.

Political parties in Swaziland have been banned since 1973 and recently activists have been jailed and harassed by police.

Crumbling economy

Mswati faces growing dissent over his authoritarian rule and is blamed for the crumbling economy, as a deepening financial crisis has left his government unable to pay its bills.

Pro-democracy groups, Aids activists and labour unions have staged unprecedented protests across the impoverished kingdom since April, complaining about the economic meltdown which is threatening the livelihood of the 1.2 million population.

The country is seeking a bailout from neighbouring South Africa, after failing to secure loans from international lenders, which have insisted on reforms before granting loans.

Swaziland Federation of Labour secretary Vincent Ncongwane said unions will attend the convention to show their commitment to dialogue.

"Yes, we are attending. We don't want the regime to use our refusal to attend the convention as an excuse to seek the much needed bail-out, arguing that we don't want to talk," Ncongwane said.

See also

DEMOCRATIC SWAZILAND CONVENTION

http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2011/07/democratic-swaziland-convention.html

DEMOCRATIC SWAZILAND CONVENTION

Swaziland’s King Mswati III has been invited to officially open a convention this weekend that if successful will see him lose his powers as an absolute monarch and a democratically-elected government replace him.

He has not yet been confirmed whether he will attend.

The ‘Convention of Civil Society’, organised by the South African NGO Phadimisa Bokamoso baAfrica, is being held as part of continuing efforts by some civil society organisations to engage in talks with the present Swaziland Government (handpicked by King Mswati).

It hopes to elect and mandate what it is calling a ‘Constituent Assembly for Civil Society’ which will begin a process of political negotiations with the Government of Swaziland ‘with a view to finding a lasting solution to the problems of political misunderstandings between civil society and the state’.

The Convention will also elect a coordinating committee or constituent assembly that will be mandated to enter into talks with the government and to form a transitional government that would foresee and manage the next democratic elections.

The convention follows a series of ‘hearings’ held by Phadimisa Bokamoso baAfrica, in South Africa earlier this year.

The hearings resulted in a draft document called Talks about Talks that was published last month (June 2011) outlining the organisations objectives, which are:

a) Unbanning of Political Parties

b) Registration of Political Parties

c) Creating a Conducive Political Climate

d) Multiparty elections for next elections

e) A Transitional Government to manage the next elections and that a period of two year is required to prepare for the elections following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the government and civil society.

f) A democratically elected parliament that will act as a constitution writing or reviewing body duly mandated by the electorate.

g) The domestication of International and Regional Agreements must be prioritized and must involve broad participation and education.

h) Gender representation in all spheres of government must be prioritized and must comply with international and regional requirements.

(To read the full report, click here). http://www.scribd.com/fullscreen/60851587?access_key=key-1fpzvjl5gp1jc72xzbhj

A total of 14 organisations participated in the hearings, including the Council of Swaziland Churches, Swaziland National Association of Teachers, Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions, Swaziland Federation of Labour, the Swaziland Coalition of Concerned Civil Organizations (SCCCO) and the Coordination Assembly of Non-Governmental Organizations (CANGO).

The People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO), one of the best-known oppositional groups, has not joined the convention. It believes it is too soon to be holding talks with the Swazi Government, while political parties remain banned It also criticises the convention for believing the current Constitution of Swaziland is democratic and there is space for political engagement.

The convention runs at the Royal Swazi Convention Centre from 29-31 July 2011.

Talks About Talks Hearings Swaziland Ver2