Regional MPs feel marginalised by elected MPs
EZULWINI – There is an outcry from regional Members of Parliament (MPs) in the country that they are being sidelined by constituency MPs who deny them their rights to perform their duties in the respective constituencies under which they affiliate.
The members of the august House said their terms of reference were not clearly outlined, such that they failed to deliver in their respective regions.
The complaint was first raised by Hhohho Regional MP, Nokunceda Bujela during the ‘Thematic Dialogue’ on Women Presentation held at Eswatini Water Services Corporation (EWSC) Head Offices in Ezulwini on Wednesday.
Defined
“We are not being recognised. Our roles as MPs are not clearly defined. Asatiwa nje nekutsi siyini, loosely meaning “It is as if we do not exist at all,” Bujela submitted.
Echoing her statements was Nokuthula Dlamini, Shiselweni Regional MP, who said the situation was perpetrated by a situation where the mindsets of the communities in which they served were negative.
Expanding, the regional MP related how she was mocked by people during elections.
“People have a negative attitude towards women. During elections, some people used to say anything they liked about me, mostly negative things,” she said, to the surprise of the participants during the dialogue session.
When contacted for comment on the regional MPs’complaints, the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC)
Communications Officer, Mbonisi Bhembe, explained that these legislators were elected to raise the quota of women in Parliament, which was below the 30 per cent
Meanwhile, former MP and Director of the Swatini Action Group Against Abuse (SWAGAA), Nonhlanhla Dlamini, is of the view that it is not wrong for pro-democracy activists to vote for people with differing political beliefs. She said for the sake of progress, it was imperative that people practised and embraced tolerance, particularly in as far as next year’s national elections are concerned.
Torelance
“Let us practise and embrace torelance,” she said. “Don’t say because you are a non-progressive, you don’t want a person who is advocating for political reforms.”
She was also speaking during the same event held at the EWSC Headquarters in Ezulwini.
The event, themed ‘Enhancing Women’s
Political Participation’, was organised by the Women In Law in Southern Africa (WLSA), in conjuction with the Parliament of Eswatini, the EBC and various stakeholders under the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs. The event was wrapped up yesterday. Present during the official opening on Wednesday was the Senate President, Pastor Lindiwe Dlamini, and her Deputy Senator Ndumiso Mdluli; Patricia Muganhiri, Programmes Coordinator - Institute for Democracy and Electoral Asssistance (IDEA), Sifisosami Dube, who is IDEA Project Officer, Benedict Bennett and Doo Aphane (both IDEA Consultants) and members of the House of Assembly and Senate in Eswatini.
The former Ludzeludze MP (Dlamini) said: “The issue of representation of women ought to start at community level.”
She said this following remarks by WLSA Eswatini Director, Sizakele Hlatshwayo, to the effect that the period of campaigning was too short for a person running for elections for the first time.
Manzini North MP Macford Sibandze, in that vein, said: “Campaigning is an everyday thing. You campaign before the official campaign exercise.”
MP Sibandze further emphasised on the need to see to it that the people’s rights to gender equality were observed.
Manzini South MP Thandi Nxumalo, in her submission, advised against the complaint that the campaigning period during the elections was very short.
Elections
“A woman vying for the elections has to do good things not because she wants to win the elections, but because she is part of the community,” she said. “Live that life which will bring you closer to the people at ground level.”
Muganhiri, representing WLSA Zimbabwe, said women and men ought to be elected on an equal basis.
She further noted that women in elections were often subjected to sexual violence and sabotage due to vote-buying.