Quality, integrity before qualifications

Madam,

In our environment of disease, wretched poverty, criminality, corruption and mass unemployment, it is particularly galling to observe politicians from the current and former ranks indulging in doublespeak and seemingly at odds with policy issues. Selfishly, they have got their priorities all wrong. The impact on our country is a lack of a purposeful government and effective opposition and continuing political incapacity and economic stagnation. While the quality of an individual is more important than his or her qualifications, we need, particularly in our political arena, a far higher degree of competency, honesty, selflessness and consistency and transparency of thought, principle and policy. We have, in our country, an ample supply of citizens with the necessary values, expertise and sense of duty but they are needlessly fragmented or choose to shun politics as a vocation.

ACCOUNTABILITY

While the business sector, non-government organisation (NGOs) and broad-based civil society and their campaigns will hopefully become more vocal and effective in righting the deep-seated wounds inflicted on our country by the politicians, the ultimate responsibility and accountability for a peaceful and prosperous Eswatini can only lie with a new strong centrist cadre uncompromisingly committed to our constitutional democracy and the well-being of our nation at large over and above the advantage of particular individuals and factional ambitions.

There has never been a stronger case for the emergence of such individuals than now.

David Gant