Half a loaf not better for MPs

) you say half a loaf is better than nothing, you might find yourself at odds with us, Eswatini’s Members of Parliament (MPs).

Some now refer to us as outgoing MPs but yes, we believe it is better to have nothing than to have just a bit of whatever is on offer.

In this tail-end part of the 11th Parliament, we are definitely revived and rejuvenated.

Many of us have woken up from the four-year slumber and realised that we are in the august House to criticise, commend and move motions.

To mere observers, the cause of this renewed vigour is a mystery.

Speculation is rife that this could be because we want to be re-elected that we are making so much noise so that potential voters may notice us. That is not the case.

It is just sad that this newfound oomph is playing tricks with the minds of some of our honourable colleagues. The things they are saying these days are just laughable.

The words coming out of their mouths would be funny if they were being made in a bar or circus. In the legislative chambers, they make one wonder.

On Wednesday, a colleague who has been in the house for years stood up to say something his constituency would probably support.

He suggested that Eswatini did not need any more holidays. The rationale"

Well, people had a lot of holidays during lockdown.

They rested and should now work or study nonstop.

Initially, Mangcongco MP One-boy =ikalala had stood up to call for a review of the holidays the country has in the month of $pril.

Some of these holidays, he said, were unnecessary.

He was probably yet to do his research regarding which ones exactly were useless because he did not mention them. Lest we forget, we have the Easter weekend, the .ing’s Birthday and National Flag Day in $pril.

There are no other holidays apart from these.

Our colleague did not say if he wanted Eswatini to be the only country in the commonwealth that does not celebrate Easter.

He said nothing about the two other holidays either,

Maybe he wanted Easter shifted to -une, a very `dry’ month in terms of holidays in Eswatini.

³There were enough holidays during lockdown,´ =ikalala said with a straight face.

Some of us nodded our heads in agreement.

We believe that the COVID-19 lockdowns presented emaSwati with a lot of time to rest and unwind. During this torrid time, people who are potential voters were forced to stay home against their will.

Others lost their jobs because the organisations they worked for were closed for too long that they went bust. Some lost their relatives and were busy, day and night, taking care of them, not to mention making preparations for urgent burials when some of the sick unfortunately died.

That is how emaSwati, the people who vote for us, rested.

-ust the other day, we called for a review of the free primary education (FPE) programme. Government should just stop this programme. Akayekele, please

They have failed to make it work. It is our considered view that this initiative only produces Grade VII graduates.

Government does not want to sponsor high school education, so the children end up staying home after passing Grade VII.

Some of our colleagues believe it is better to be completely illiterate than to be able to read, write and do basic arithmetic, courtesy of the seven years of primary education.