PUDEMO veteran: Register for elections ǤǤǤ ›‡•ǡ ”‡‰‹•–‡” ‹ —„‡”• Ȃ
MBABANE – PUDEMO veteran Dr Ray Russon has advised his party to consider participating in the national elections, as a means to influence political changes in the country.
PUDEMO is an acronym for the People’s United Democratic Movement. It is one of the oldest political parties in the country, boasting over 40 years of existence.
Dr Russon is one of the founding members of PUDEMO, who was recently engaged by the party to give a virtual political lecture.
In a paper meant for the attention of the recent PUDEMO Congress, Dr Russon noted how, over the years, the party had applied the strategies of mass action, international pressure and sabotage.
However, he said the party could learn something from Albert Einstein, who is widely quoted to have defined insanity as doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting different results.
“Has PUDEMO done the same thing repeatedly over the past 40 years but expecting different results? The answer is yes and no. Yes, because the methods have remained the same, and no because the intensity has changed.”
He advised the party members to register en masse for the upcoming elections and then take a decision on the way forward, judging from the number of members who will have made it to the voters’ roll.
“In other words, use the state resources to run your own referendum to test this idea. Be open to voters that you are testing this idea and if the majority wish PUDEMO to take the fight to the enemy, then they must register. Dominate the voters’ roll and make sure that at least 60 per cent of registered voters are progressives,” he advised.
If PUDEMO succeeds, he said, it would have the power to bargain for change.
“And, if the numbers are bad, declare that the members of PUDEMO have rejected the idea of participating in the Tinkhundla and argue that PUDEMO will respect the views of the members,” Dr Russon advised.
Advice
When PUDEMO was asked if the advice of Dr Russon was considered at the congress, PUDEMO Secretary General Penuel Malinga said the National Executive Committee (NEC) had met before the congress and decided on the documents to be discussed during the event.
“The document you are talking about was not part of the discussion documents. We can’t comment on documents which were not part of the congress discussion.”
Meanwhile, in his paper, Dr Russon
MBABANE – Elections and Boundaries Commission Communications Officer Mbonisi Bhembe says Dr Russon’s call for all people to register for the elections is a welcome development.
“We have always said that people who have differing opinions should come forth and participate so that their voices could be heard. If they stay away, how will we know what they are thinking?” he asked.
He said participating in the elections was a basic right enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international pieces of legislation.
PUDEMO’s Declaration on Elections says: “Delegates unanimously resolved and declared that there recalled that it had been over 20 years since he penned ‘The Conundrum’ for the Esikhawini Congress, where he addressed the political impasse in Eswatini.
“In summary, I argued that there was a political stalemate between PUDEMO and the regime could not extinguish PUDEMO and PUDEMO was not able to replace the regime. PUDEMO has relied on mass action, international pressure and sabotage, while the State has used all its powers, including arrests, detentions without trial, legal persecutions and even assassinations,” he said.
Dr Russon mentioned that mass action was one pillar of the struggle that was globally appreciated and one that PUDEMO had used extensively.
“I did lament though that this vehicle of struggle has its moments of vibrancy shall be no Tinkhundla elections which will be allowed to take place in 2023 or any other time in Swaziland (Eswatini) going forward. We call upon all Swazis to prepare for a mother of all defiance campaigns to stop any possibility of Tinkhundla elections until negotiations and drafting of a democratic and all-inclusive Constitution is in place. We wish to be unequivocal in calling for a genuine multiparty democratic electoral framework as the basis for the election of any government of the country.”
However, Chairman of the Elections and Boundaries Commission Prince Mhlabuhlangene has unequivocally said that the law would be enforced on anyone who would try to disrupt the elections this year. and moments of disillusion when the masses start counting their losses and wonder if there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Mass action requires a lot of energy, organising, education, mobilising and patience.”
He said he had also discussed the military option that was used in Mozambique, Angola, Zimbabwe, Namibia and South Africa and cautioned that the conditions for such an option were limited for Eswatini ‘because the struggle is not against a foreign or colonial power’. He also said he advised that support for guerrilla warfare from the neighbouring States would be non-existence and, in fact, the neighbouring states ‘were enjoined by the SADC protocols to desist from any such action.’
He acknowledged that 23 years later after writing ‘The Conondrum’, a lot had happened but little if any had changed.
“The regime has also suffered some losses but the political position remains largely unchanged. Political parties remain banned, elections are still held in accordance with the Tinkhundla System of individual candidates using the first past the post electoral model.”
He said political parties could not contest elections and the King’s powers had not changed. He said the political situation in Eswatini had similarities with the Russian Revolution.
“A similar situation has happened in Eswatini when three Members of Parliament revolted against the system and received national jubilation and international support. Imagine what would have happened had there been 20 such members in that Parliament. SWALIMO has emerged as a real force in Swaziland (Eswatini) politics by merely identifying a gap in PUDEMO policies.
“PUDEMO has always retained the motto that every ‘avenue is a site of struggle’, however, Parliament, for some reason, has not been selected as a site of struggle, why? There is no better method of struggle than to confront the enemy and defeat them on their terrain and their own terms,” he said.
He termed this strategy ‘Revolutionary Superiority.’ “Niyabesaba Na? Way Forward – Taking the Revolution to the Enemy’s Front Door. Contest the Tinkhundla elections on your own terms,” he said.
He envisages that PUDEMO would be able to register a large number of members in the voters roll, which should put the party on the pounding seat to make demands.
Noteworthy, the Swaziland Liberation Movement has said it would participate in the elections, but for the purpose of making the country ungovernable until democratic reforms are introduced.