Constitutional promise remains a dream
Sir,
I’m aware that there is divided opinion about the country’s Constitution in terms of whether it is people driven or not. Whatever the case may be, the Constitution is the highest law of the land and binds us all, whether one supports it or not.
Its preamble states: “Whereas as a nation we desire to march forward progressively under our own constitution guaranteeing peace, order and good government, and the happiness and welfare of all our people; whereas it is necessary to protect and promote the fundamental rights and freedoms of all in our kingdom in terms of a constitution which binds the Legislature, Executive, Judiciary and the other organs and agencies of government.”
Quality
All emaSwati, despite their status, aspire to live a quality life, acquire good education, secure a decent job, have access to proper healthcare and information, among a host of others. But the reality is that emaSwati are trapped in poverty, unemployment, gender-based violence, limited access to justice, limited participation in governance, limited voice to demand accountability from those who govern them, lack of political pluralism and many more.
Women
And sadly, Eswatini is a highly unequal society and women have been historically disadvantaged in terms of labour participation. To worsen the situation, there are no comprehensive social protection programmes that address the needs of the vulnerable. It is said that ‘a true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members’.
But sadly, political will is lacking in many instances as emaSwati continue to be evicted and land disputes continue unabated, causing tensions and conflicts in communities. The Constitution guarantees emaSwati protection of human rights. These rights, which are universal, indivisible and inalienable, which should be enjoyed in their totality, include civil, political and cultural rights. Sadly freedom of information, association and assembly remains elusive for emaSwati who believe in pluralism. Also the violation of human rights continues unabated. Sadly emaSwati are not claiming these rights because many are not aware what the Constitution says. The constitutional promise of happiness and welfare for all remains a dream for a majority of emaSwati. A lot still needs to be done for this promise to become true for emaSwati being left behind.