Without the hint of a blush on his cheek, Swaziland’s
unelected Deputy Prime Minister Themba Masuku has branded democrats who are calling
for a boycott of this year’s national election, ‘cowards’.
Masuku said members of banned groups could only write
graffiti on walls. The Times of Swaziland
newspaper reported him saying, ‘If you go about writing graffiti and
forcing people to follow you, it is a sign of cowardice.’
He added that Swazis were in favour of the present system
of government. This is known as Tinkhundla, and under this system political
parties are banned, no members of the Senate House are elected by the
population (two thirds are directly appointed by King Mswati III) and only 55
members of the 65 member House of Assembly are elected by the people.
Masuku said those opposed to the election were trying to
force people into boycotting the vote. ‘So why force them to do something they
do not want? this is a sign of cowardice because it means you cannot defend
your stance,’ the Times reported Masuku
saying.
But, as anyone who is observing Swaziland, and there are increasing
numbers from across the world doing so now that the election process in the
kingdom is underway, the Deputy Prime Minister is talking nonsense.
The regime, headed by King Mswati, who rules Swaziland as
sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch, has steadfastly refused to allow
any discussion about the election or the political system in the kingdom to
take place.
In the past few weeks alone, state police have broken up
prayer meetings, a public meeting and a rally. All were designed to get people talking about the
elections. The state police, most often acting without a court order or a
warrant, say such discussions are a threat to state security.
Some organisers of these meetings have been charged with
sedition.
Masuku says that those opposed to the elections are
cowards because they cannot defend their ‘stance’. But, they are never given
the opportunity to do just that.
In fact, democrats in Swaziland are routinely harassed in
their homes, beaten by police, arrested on trumped up charges and jailed
without bail pending continuous court appearances - all because they want to
have the opportunity to put their ‘stance’ to the people.
Despite the hardships they are enduring they say they
will continue with their work trying to turn Swaziland away from the feudal
kingdom it is today, into a fully-operational democracy. If the need arises,
they will go to jail, they say.
No, the prodemocracy advocates are not cowards. The real
cowards are Deputy Prime Minister Masuku, King Mswati and his hangers-on. They
are too scared to engage with the people in an open forum to defend the
political system that allows them so many privileges, but deprives the rest of
the Swazi people their rights.
Masuku won’t stand up and debate, because he knows in his
heart that once the people understand what’s going on, he will be for the chop.
See also
ANC ANGRY AT BRUTAL SECURITY FORCE
NOW, ELECTION MEETINGS ARE ‘SEDITIOUS’
