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Sir,

Some of us who have been indifferent to the many political ills in this kingdom now see the regime for what it truly is; ruthless, manipulative and greedy. The wanton display of force has only served to draw unnecessary attention to the country and expose how bloodthirsty the security cluster is.

As a peace-loving liSwati myself, I am not one to condone looting and damage to public infrastructure, which have characterised many of our protest marches.

Attention

However, when our leaders pay attention to that, to the point of neglecting the bigger issues at hand, I find it disingenuous and cynical. We cant be focusing solely on the suffering grass the docile emaSwati who were known to cower at any threat of violence. These are people who are yearning for better than they are subjected to. They are products of a grossly unequal society and greedy elite who have ensured that they have a deplorable healthcare system, among other issues.

Poverty

They have, over the years, watched as billions of their taxes go into financing lavish lifestyles of a few, while they languished in abject poverty. The people are tired and this has not been happening in a situation of war when what should occupy us should be the issues that are a source of conflict.

EmaSwati are suffering and the demands for political changes, jobs for young people and indeed, justice for all will spiral into something we cannot deal with if we fail to concede that government’s epic failures in many fronts call for serious talks.

Crumbling

With the crumbling infrastructure and poor service delivery, it is patently clear that the centre is now failing to hold and we will soon be on the fringes of grave conflict.

If there was ever a time that should demonstrate the rhetoric of being a country which prides itself in dialogue, now is the time. The people have set the agenda and our leaders will ignore their demands to the country’s

Son of S detriment.

The insatiable appetite for luxury and opulence among our leaders is diametrically opposed to the socio-economic needs of the majority of this kingdom’s people.

Change

The sporadic calls for change are a desperate demand for a rethink of the power structure. What currently obtains, the people have realised, only serves to benefit a select few. With the gauntlet thrown, are we going to channel our resources towards muffling voices of dissent and use violence as a tool or are we going to be the world’s shining example of the effectiveness of constructive engagement and dialogue, where all opinions matter and are respected.

Anonymous