PM Cleopas chooses to fail
IN h i s a d d r e s s t o S e n a t e , Prime Minister Cleopas Sipho Dlamini pledged his full concentration on economic development.
In his own words, fixing the economy is his priority, as opposed to political stability. That is what he said in Senate on Friday.
He chooses to fail because a prime minister or a president’s priority is ordinarily centred on the intricacies and dynamics of political economy or should I say the political economy of scales.
Political economy is a social science that studies production, trade and their relationship with the law and government. Therefore, politics and economics intertwine in good governance. A prime minister needs a political decision for economic fulfilment.
DEVELOPMENT
In 2003, there was no way Absalom Themba Dlamini, popularly known as AT, would have exerted all of his strength to economic development when the country’s image has been dented by his predecessor’s defiance of the High Court and Supreme Court judgements.
I hope we are aware that judges had resigned enmasse at that time. There was no substantive prime minister in office as Sibusiso Barnabas Dlamini’s term of office had expired. The incoming prime minister, AT, was faced with a mammoth task to restore judicial, economic and political order in the country.
AT and Prince David, the ex- Minister of Justice and Constitutional Affairs, were aware of the defiance’s effects on the economy.
As a result, they had to take a political decision. It entailed first apologising to the judges at a meeting they held with the disgruntled judges at Royal Villas Hotel in Ezulwini.
T h e y e mb r a c e d t h e me s s a n d owned up to it. After that, they requested them to return to the bench, something which they did.
Brothers and sisters, Eswatini is fresh from an unprecedented civil unrest, which crippled the economy of the country. The civil uprising went as f ar as t ai nt i ng t he i mage of t he country in the eyes of the international community.
There is no doubt that potential and resident investors look at Eswatini in a different perspective now. Investors presently doing business in Eswatini want nothing but to be assured safety and security.
Countries and businesses buying the kingdom’s sugar, pulp, citrus fruits, beef and other products could possibly be sceptical of continuing business wit h e maSwati. Perhaps, t hey a r e asking themselves if they are trading with the right people. What happened in Eswatini is not a small thing – hello!
Here, there is no doubt about the prevalence of a breakdown in the rule of law and political instability. Mind you, the global community has observed it.
The civil unrest undoubtedly scared investor confidence. It greatly upset foreign direct investment. It looks like Eswatini needs to rebuild everything.
Of course, everything!
For hi m t o r i s e t o t he occasi on, I t hought Pri me Minister Cleopas Dlamini knew his political game. He may be an economist par excellence, but, at this point in time, he cannot divorce economics from politics.
The country’s economy is so tiny to depend on local production. The GDP will surely decline. SACU receipts have already started showing signs of pathetic dwindling.
The economy should be export- driven.
RELATIONS
Once we begin to talk of export- driven economy, the political economy of the country laced with full understanding of international relations and diplomacy comes to play.
If Prime Minister Cleopas doesn’t consider this fact, he has taken a path to dismal failure. He will fail in his duties, not because he is incapable of leading government business, but he assumes that politics doesn’t drive economics. I don’t understand why there is a strong conviction on the shores that a good prime minister must be an economist.
In my limited understanding, I usually share with friends that a good prime minister is an excellent identifier of political talents. Political talents should define Cabinet. This is due to the fact that Cabinet is not a company or a public enterprise where economics must define such establishments.
A good prime minister, I usually say, sets a scheme. Of course, he puts relevant personnel in strategic positions. Based on the assumption or probability that he is an all- rounder, he then appraises them through a proper and relevant management framework. That is what I personally think can work in a country like Eswatini.
The r e c o n s t r u c t i o n p r o g r a mme, which government has undertaken, may be good on paper but I want to say that rebuilt or renovated walls do not mean the country’s economy has recovered.
Those reconstructed walls will house products that must be sold. They must be sold to a market.
Whose market? International trade is measured against the quality of rule of law and good governance in a country where t he primary shipping of t he goods takes place.
I humbly submit that the PM must be cognisant of the fact that he is not a builder of malls, plazas and office blocks. Rather, he is a politician who creates a conducive environment for the economy to thrive.
In a nutshell, we need Prime Minister Cleopas to assure embassies resident in Eswatini and entire global community that it is nice to be here ( kumnandzi kuba la). He has to convince the global community how he will make sure that there is no recurrence of civil unrests. He must show t hem a government strategy, which he devised to ensure there are no future deaths and destruction of property.
The prime minister must appreciate that he is in charge of a government of a country that is a member of the United Nations ( UN), Commonwealth, COMESA, African Union, SACU and SADC. All these blocs patiently await an answer from him.
In 2015, a delegation from Eswatini l ed by J abulile Mashwama was i n Belgium to meet the European Parliament over allegations of human rights violations levelled against the country by pro- democracy groups.
The delegation extended an invitation to the European Parliamentarians to visit Eswatini to observe peace, tranquillity and respect of human rights.
If they were to come now for this particular factfinding mission; what would be your response Your Excellency the Right Honourable Prime Minister?
Lilangeni, our currency, is pegged with the South African Rand. Over the past 10 years, delinking Lilangeni from the Rand has been a talking point. What would be the effects of this decision if it were to happen? Do we have a political response?
Now, we, as emaSwati, are wasting time underestimating the effects of the Economic Freedom Front ( EFF) in South Africa’s decision making mechanisms. We lie to ourselves that the EFF is neither a ruling party nor opposition; hence it is a toothless dog. What quality of observation is this? Our observation and quality of engagement tend to mislead the King. His Majesty is hungry for truth that will build his nation.
We pretend that we don’t know that the EFF has been pushing for many Bills to be passed in South Africa. It was instrumental in having ex- President Jacob Zuma, a good friend of Eswatini, to be removed from office.
Zuma’s party, the ANC, ended up advising him to resign, something which he did in February 2018. I have no doubts that certain ANC members push their political agenda through t he EFF. I cannot be surprised at hearing that the EFF has passed a Bill unfavourable to Eswatini. Wait and see! That Bill will pass, I can assure you.
SOLUTION
We have to start now being serious with the dialogue, which SADC may contemplate facilitating or recommending.
There i s nothing SADC can do t o f orce us t o be genuine, understanding, tolerant and receptive of dissenting viewpoints if we do not demonstrate commitment to nation building initiatives.
I call upon the prime minister to show his political will to resolving the political challenges faced by the Kingdom of Eswatini.
If he does not address the prevailing political challenges, he would be regarded as one of the prime ministers who wasted our time with his irrelevant tendencies to a good course – no thank you!