Swaziland is getting ready
to elect a Speaker to the House of Assembly amid rumours that King Mswati III,
the kingdom’s absolute monarch, has a preferred choice. It seems history might be
about to repeat itself.
If true, this raises a problem for the members of parliament who vote because they have to defer to the King. In Swaziland, (recently renamed Eswatini by the King on his 50th birthday) the House of Assembly and the Senate exist only to do the King’s will.
If true, this raises a problem for the members of parliament who vote because they have to defer to the King. In Swaziland, (recently renamed Eswatini by the King on his 50th birthday) the House of Assembly and the Senate exist only to do the King’s will.
Political parties are
banned from taking part in elections. At
the most recent poll on 21 September 2018 the people were only allowed to chose
59 members of the House of Assembly. The King has since appointed a further ten
members, including
six from his own Royal Family. None of the 30 members of the Swazi Senate
are elected by the people. The King appoints 20 and the House of Assembly
elects 10.
In theory the election of
the Speaker of the House of Assembly is an open contest. Nominations for the
post closed on Wednesday (10 October 2018). In practice, this does not always
happened. After the previous election in 2013 Themba Msibi was elected
unopposed after all other candidates stood down. He was not even on the list of
candidates.
He was the King’s preferred
candidate. Once news of this spread all other candidates withdrew. It was reported
at the time that the House of Assembly was ready to elect a Speaker but it
was adjourned for three days to allow Msibi time to get his nomination papers
entered.
The adjournment was forced
by Clerk of Parliament Ndvuna Dlamini.
The adjournment caused
confusion in the Swazi Parliament because the kingdom’s Constitution suggests
the election of Speaker had to take place at the first sitting of Parliament
following a national election.
Among those withdrawing was
Prince Guduza, the Speaker of the previous Parliament. He was widely thought of
as the first choice of Parliamentarians and until the King’s intervention, was
expected to be elected. He withdrew hours before the election took place.
Former minister and dissident
journalist Mfomfo Nkhambule and Mangcongco MP Patrick ‘Pha’ Motsa, the only
other candidates, had previously withdrawn.
King Mswati III had a week
earlier appointed Msibi to the House of Assembly. Msibi did not stand as a
candidate in the national election held on 20 September 2013.
The intervention of King
Mswati was not reported in local media, but the Times of Swaziland, the kingdom’s
only independent daily newspaper, reported, ‘Complete gloom enveloped the House
of Assembly when Themba Msibi was pronounced Speaker unopposed
yesterday.’
In an
editorial comment, the Times said,
‘Parliament’s credibility, status and integrity have been shaken by the
preceding chaos over the election of the Speaker and the nation desperately
needs the reassurance that we have actually chosen the best people for the job
– and that they will do the best for the nation.’
Msibi became a
controversial Speaker. In June 2016 MPs decided to close parliament in protest
about what they saw as Msibi’s poor performance of his job. They asked King
Mswati to intervene. To their surprise, the King
instructed Prime Minister Barnabas Dlamini (a man appointed to his job by the
King) to tell them to get back to work. They did.
The Swazi Observer, a newspaper in effect owned by the King, reported
at the time, ‘“I [Dlamini] have been sent by the King to inform you that he has
heard that there are issues affecting parliament. But he says parliamentarians
must continue working, especially on government business and other matters
relating to government regulations. Bayethe!’’ he shouted the royal cry
signifying that the massage was directly from the King.’
The newspaper added, ‘The
few MPs who were present responded with the royal Bayethe cry as well. Soon
after delivering the message, the PM hit the exit door.’
The House was then
adjourned because not enough MPs were present to form a quorum.
The Observer reported at the time, ‘Parliamentary business has been
grounded for the past two months following a decision by the members of the
House of Assembly to get rid of Msibi. The decision to remove Msibi from the
position of Speaker was triggered by his refusal to allow members of the
Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Swaziland Branch to elect a new
executive committee to replace one that was chaired by Dvokodvweni MP Musa
Sitezi Dlamini, whom some MPs considered a puppet for the Speaker.
‘The manner in which Msibi
handled the matter did not help the situation either, instead, it revealed his
other side-being authoritative.
‘Most of the MPs felt they
could not stand his alleged boastful character. They also accused him of
arrogance, selective treatment of members and flouting of parliamentary
procedures.
‘Attempts by members of the
House of Assembly to remove Msibi from his position have previously been
unsuccessful.
‘A recent attempt before
this one was through a parliamentary process that involved investigating his
alleged immoral and unethical activities, which led to his subsequent
suspension. The suspension was to be enforced pending tabling of the investigation
report.
‘Msibi ran to the country’s
courts to seek legal redress. While challenging the decision by his colleagues
and before the court process was concluded, Prime Minister Sibusiso Dlamini
delivered a message from the King informing House members the squabbles should
be put to a dead stop.
‘Msibi was reportedly
instructed to abandon the court process and those legislators investigating him
also ordered to bring to a halt the whole investigation process. All
parties concerned obliged.’
The Observer reported that the House was divided into two rival
factions, ‘with a few mainly royal appointees on the side of Msibi and the
other section largely composed of elected members directly representing the 55
constituencies.’
See also
‘KING’S
MAN’ STANDS FOR SPEAKER JOB
CONFUSION
AS SPEAKER NOT ELECTED
DISSIDENT
STANDS AS HOUSE SPEAKER
