Mphandlana takes a swipe at elections
MBABANE – PUDEMO member Mphandlana Shongwe has come hard on the election process, predicting that the 2023 national elections would be a failure.
In a post on social media, Shongwe said the country should be prioritising the national dialogue as compared to the election process. He said hosting the national election at such a volatile political period was suicidal and a delay to the dialogue which was aimed at solving a national crisis.
Shongwe said the situation in the country was not suitable for election and the time was not conducive. He said the country was going through a confusing period where people needed to dialogue in order to come up with a solution.
“There seems to be a conundrum on the issues around the elections and the dialogue and most probably the confusion comes from whether there will be elections next year or not. The riddle and muddle is exacerbated by the uncertainty around the much-awaited dialogue which has remained a mirage at a far distant horizon. Out of this confusion many people resort to thinking about the elections,” he said.
Shongwe mentioned that there was a need for the people to be educated on the effects of the elections on the future political climate. He said the elections were allegedly being used to delay the calls for a democratic government.
THREE-DAY STANDSTILL
He said it was difficult to even consider the success of the elections when a faceless ‘commander’ was able to bring the country to a three-day standstill. “Because we are involved in political education and it never ends; I feel duty bound to speak about this subject. We are aware of the time buying tactic which gives the false hope that we might forget the issue of dialogue and concentrate on the election process which seemed lucrative to the starving people. This trick has worked before, but everyone is anxiously contemplating and guessing what will happen in this time and age of the ‘commander’. We can wish to downplay this phenomenon at our peril, but what about the three holidays which the people have enjoyed at the courtesy of the ‘commander’,” he stated.
He said chances of hosting the national elections in 2023 were becoming slim as the people were showing their anger towards the Tinkhundla System.
“Now, let us look at the issue of the dialogue and elections. If we are to be honest with ourselves, it is crystal clear that prospects of the government holding elections in 2023 are getting slimmer and slimmer by the day. The aftershock from last year’s political unrest is still felt to this day and it keeps casting doubt to the success of any elections,” he said.
Shongwe lamented the surging corruption and said the system was not at a position to guarantee a successful, free and fair election. He stated that according to him, the election procedure was not strong enough and could be easily manipulated.
“As we discuss the elections, we must also equally consider that on the other side of the coin is the dialogue. Although both proponents shun this route, it remains the only exit available. It must be clear to all and sundry that every conflict ends with negotiations. We can all pretend we don’t want this route but the most unfortunate scenario is that we will end up in this process or we go the Somalia route of perpetual anarchy,” he added.
Shongwe emphasised that there was no way for the country to have the elections before the dialogue. He said since the dialogue would come first before the elections; it meant there would be a lot of changes by the time of the election period.
“We will have a dialogue and its outcome will be a transitional authority followed by the writing of an interim Constitution leading to proper elections probably in 2025. I know I might have walked where eagles dare walk but this is according to the balance of forces at play currently. The question of whether there is a struggle in Eswatini has been answered. The blood of many people and the scars people carry is a result of the struggle. If we allow the system to hold elections next year, it would mean the people have died for nothing.”
PARTICIPATE IN THE ELECTION
Shongwe said anyone who wanted to participate in the election was becoming a part of a problem and not a solution. He encouraged emaSwati to look deeper into the elections and make a decision based on facts.
Communications Officer of the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) Mbonisi Bhembe said everything was within time and the country was going to have a national election when the right time comes.
Bhembe said there were internal processes that were being undertaken to ensure the smooth running of the election process. He said the commission was not relaxed but busy with the processes ahead of the dissolution of Parliament.
“You will notice that we are still within time and there is no need for the people to panic. We will have elections as soon as the authorities give us the go ahead to do so. The commissioner and the commission are currently carrying out internal preparations. We are aware of what is currently happening and we are very much sure that once the go ahead is given, we will be ready to host a successful election,” he said.
Bhembe mentioned that there were amendments being made that would be revealed through a Bill to be presented in Parliament.