Society of privileged few
Madam,
The problem with Eswatini lies with the elite. These are a privileged band of individuals who have piloted the affairs of this country from the sidelines. For these privileged individuals, being in government is ‘ until death do they part’. They move from one political office to the other ‘ sharing the money’. They have crafted a brand of democracy in the country that can best be described as the government of the elite, by the elite, for the elite. You have to be introduced to these godfathers before you get a job.
This brand of governance has created a society of the privileged few who have everything a n d a p a s s i v e maj o r i t y who scramble for crumbs from under their tables. In a starkly divided society of the haves and have nots, t he have nots must t ake t heir share of blame for t heir p l i g h t . Come e l e c t i o n t i me, t hese s ame s ufferi ng masses will l ay r ed carpets and si ng hymns for their tormenters as if to say, here is my other cheek, slap me some more, and harde r t h i s t i me. The e l i t e k n o w this and count on an electorate that is easy to fleece and easily swayed. This country can be one of the greatest nations on earth and this is no exaggeration. We are just handcuffed by powerful godfathers across the political divide whose greed and ego know no bounds.
The elite build hospitals they will never ever go to because of lack of equipment and schools they will never send their children to because they know they have destroyed our education. Some are quick to catch a flight to overseas at the slightest hint o f a h e a d a c h e . F o r d e c a d e s they have fashioned a brand of democracy that has only served their interests, a type of governance that is based on patronage, ‘ who you know’. We must begin to challenge these godfathers f or more a c c ountabi l i t y. We must demand perhaps a bit more loudly, that they govern for the public good. Eswatini can do much better, so let’s kill corruption before it kills this country of ours.
Chess Masuku