UNION LEADERS ARRESTED - VoA

Voice of America

19 September 2008

Swaziland Protesting Union Leaders Arrested Ahead of Parliamentary Election
By Peter Clottey Washington, D.C.

The people of Swaziland go to the polls Friday to elect members of parliament amid government crackdown against pro-democracy demonstrators who are calling for political reforms under King Mswati III. Swazi police arrested several protest leaders Thursday, saying the protesters were causing Anarchy.But the demonstrators say today’s parliamentary election is a façade calculated to deceive Swazis into believing that absolute monarch, King Mswati III, is interested in democracy.

Vincent Dlamini is the main proponent of the protest march. He tells reporter Peter Clottey from the capital, Mbabane that the protests would continue unabated until their demands for democratic reforms are met.

“Some of the union leaders were arrested during our protests and demonstration around the country’s border post yesterday. Some of the were released later on after their detention, but I’m not quite sure what happened to the others. We are still trying to locate where they are at the moment. What we can also report is that quite a number of workers, in the southern part of the country in Mshangano were brutally assaulted by the police as they were conducting the demonstration against the election that would be held this morning in our country,” Dlamini said.

He said the union workers are protesting against he called an undemocratic system, which he said clamps down on their right to a free democratic society.

“We are protesting against the current Nikunda system, which we believe is undemocratic, and we are demanding that elections must be held under a multi-party democratic system. This current system came into place by the banning of the political parties in 1973 by the previous King Sobhuza II. In this particular state of emergency, one significant thing that happened was that all three branches of government were transferred to the king. That is the judiciary, legislature and all other executive powers were vested in the king by that particular decree, which banned political parties in the country,” he said.

Dlamini said the protesters want to enjoy democracy just like most people in other parts of the world do.

“We are saying that we want elections to be conducted in a multi-party democratic environment,” Dlamini pointed out.

He sharply denied that Friday’s parliamentary election is an attempt by the government to bring about some democratic reforms.

“No, no, no, there is no reform at all. What is happening in our country is that the majority of the people reside in the rural areas, which is about 70% of the population. And therefore quite a number of them are participating in this election because they are intimidated by the chiefs who are appendages of the monarch. The chiefs run the rural areas and the villages on behalf of the monarch and they tend to intimidate and evict people who do not conform to the dictates of the regime,” he said.

Dlamini accused the government of not educating the masses on the benefits of democracy.

“What is happening is that the regime in our country currently thrives on the ignorance of the masses. In the rural areas there are high level of poverty and people are being abused in the sense that what is happening, they are given food passes and all that and are being bribed so to speak,” Dlamini noted.

He said union workers would not stop protesting to ensure their voices for democratic reforms are heard.

“What we are going to do next is that we will continue in engaging in mass action, we will have mass demonstrations at certain intervals. And we are going to be educating our people in terms of what is best for our country, as well as making sure that the international community understands our plight and understand that Swaziland is still an undemocratic country,” he said.

Some political observes say although the monarch remains popular among many of his subjects, there is rising discontent over his extravagant lifestyle, refusal to adopt democratic reforms and to tackle Swaziland’s numerous social problems.

Link http://voanews.com/english/Africa/2008-09-19-voa4.cfm

SWAZILAND HIT BY ‘ELECTION CRISIS’

Swazi Media Commentary
www.swazimedia.blogspot.com

Swaziland holds it breath as it eagerly awaits King Mswati III’s declaration of the date for the kingdom’s national election.

Already dates have been set for people to register so that they are eligible to vote in the elections, widely expected to be in October or November 2008.

Yesterday (7 May 2008) the Swazi Observer published a special elections supplement, which among other things gave good solid information on who qualifies to be a voter and what a person has to do to register.

Some of the ‘qualifications’ look a bit strange to me. The Observer states that a person is only qualified to vote if she/he has been associated with Inkhundla for at least five years. That seems to mean that if you have moved home in the past five years you don’t get a vote. Or does it mean you have to move back to a place where you have lived for at least five years? It’s a bit confusing and seems to me that it will restrict the number of people who are entitled to vote, which is a pity because we need all the voters to participate that we can get if these elections are to be considered to be valid.

There is a lot of controversy in the Swazi media at the moment over these elections. Yesterday (7 May 2008) the Times of Swaziland went so far as to declare there was ‘an election crisis’. In an editorial comment the Times says the government is acting illegally in the way it announced the dates for voter registration. The Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) announced the dates before a parliamentary bill was tabled that in effect gave the EBC the authority to do so. Two parliamentary bills intended to facilitate the smooth running of the election have now been withdrawn by the Swaziland Justice Minister.

There is already controversy over the way members of the EBC were selected (the inappropriate qualifications of the members has prompted many in the media to declare the ECB ‘illegal’).

The Times editorial states,

‘That the two bills have been withdrawn, while the EBC continues to educate people how to vote, only goes to prove how casual the authorities are about a very serious matter that has drastic implications for this country.

‘We subscribe to the view that while the constitution allows the existence of an EBC, it (the EBC) cannot operate without a law guiding its day to day operation.

‘If we had a parliament we did not regret, it would have moved to have the operations of the EBC suspended until Parliament had passed the law that governs its operations.’

The Observer supplement gave space to one organisation that doesn’t get much coverage in the Swazi media - the Peoples United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO).

PUDEMO is often incorrectly called in the international media the Swaziland ‘opposition party’. This isn’t true because in Swaziland all political parties are banned and there is no ‘official’ opposition in the way that democratically run countries would have a government and then have political parties that ‘opposed’ it.

Although PUDEMO is illegal in Swaziland that doesn’t stop it advocating for democracy in the kingdom.

It is because PUDEMO is illegal in Swaziland that some news media are reluctant to report its activities or comments. There is a feeling that to report on an illegal organisation might itself be illegal and therefore open up a media house to legal attack. Also, of course, in Swaziland just about the entire broadcast media are state controlled and they are not going to let PUDEMO make its case on the airwaves.

So, congratulations to the Observer for giving PUDEMO the chance to explain why it wants people to boycott the election and not cast their vote.

In an article, Mario Masuku, chairman of PUDEMO, writes that PUDEMO is ‘seeking for a constitutional multiparty democracy that is underpinned by the will of people,’ and ‘believes that unconditional respect for the fundamental people’s rights is core to any process of government, in particular that of adult suffrage.

‘National elections are a major component of the democratic process, but, however, they are not an end in themselves, and not all national elections are democratic, free and fair, and the forthcoming Swaziland ones are those one would describe as falling short of a popular democratic process.

‘The Commonwealth Expert Team that observed the Swaziland National Elections of 2003 had this to say on them: “We do not regard the credibility of these national elections as an issue; no elections can be credible when they are for a parliament which does not have power and when political parties are banned”.’

Masuku says that PUDEMO will boycott the election because the election will not give a mandate to ‘an accountable and credible government to serve the electorate’.

He adds, ‘Not only will we not take part, but will encourage people to hold on to their mandate until democratic elections are possible under a politically conducive environment.’

PUDEMO has also been getting coverage in the international media. On Tuesday (6 May 2008) the Voice of America (VoA) carried a report that PUDEMO ‘is accusing the government of King Mswati III of making a mockery of the tenets of democracy’ ahead of the election. VoA said PUDEMO ‘also reportedly described as illegal a decision by the electoral commission to open the voter’s register in preparation for the parliamentary elections’.

A report on the VoA website quotes Masuku saying that PUDEMO is determined to thwart the government’s efforts to deceive the ordinary citizen.

VoA quotes Masuku saying that although PUDEMO stands a chance of losing out by refusing to be part of the parliamentary election, it is ready to fight for a total regime change.

He said PUDEMO wanted people to realise that a minority would elect any government that is elected this year. It would be ‘a government that would have a parliament, or house of assembly that has no power at all when the power is vested in the King and his family. We would rather stand to our principle of respecting fundamental human rights, and that of democracy than be counted among compromises of the truth.’

The issue of whether to boycott the national election is hotting up in the Swazi media. Unsurprisingly, since all media in Swaziland have a stake in the status quo, all are urging people to partake in the election. But there is a sizeable part of the so-called ‘progressive movement’ in Swaziland that wants a boycott. We shall see whether the media allows people in the kingdom to fully debate the issue. If the Observer is anything to go by, things are looking good in this regard at the moment.

See also
MORE BANS BY SWAZI ELECTION BOARD


First published 8 May 2008

SWAZI OPPOSITION PUDEMO SPEAKS

Voice of America

6 May 2008

Swaziland’s Opposition Accuses Government Ahead of Parliamentary Elections

By Peter Clottey Washington, D.C.


Swaziland’s main opposition party, Pudemo is accusing the government of King Mswati III of making a mockery of the tenets of democracy ahead of this year’s parliamentary elections. The opposition party also reportedly described as illegal a decision by the electoral commission to open the voter’s register in preparation for the parliamentary elections. But the electoral commission says Swazis have the right to choose who should represent them and their interests in parliament.

Pudemo is demanding political reform in Swaziland, saying the people should be allowed to vote for their own government and not to be ruled by an absolute monarch. Mario Masuku is the chairman of Swaziland’s main opposition Pudermo party. He tells reporter Peter Clottey from the capital, Mbabane that his party is determined to thwart the government’s efforts of deceiving the ordinary citizen.

“As far as we are concerned, I want to say that it is everybody’s right to be voted for and to vote for a government of their choice. But that should be held in an environment that is conducive for freedom of association and freedom of expression. The situation in Swaziland is that the opening of the registry is meaningless as far as the right to associate is concerned. As long as people may not register political parties, those national elections, or the process towards national elections remains undemocratic and backward as far Pudermo is concern,” Masuku pointed out.

He said although the opposition party stands a chance of losing out by refusing to be part of the upcoming parliamentary election, it is ready to fight for a total regime change.

“What you are saying is very true. But what is noble? Is it getting involved and be thrown out with a bucket of dirty water or stand up to a principle, respecting the fundamental human rights? We have chosen the latter that we would carry on at the end of it all people will realize that the government that is in power, a government would be elected by a minority, a government that would have a parliament, or house of assembly that has no power at all when the power is vested in the King and his family. We would rather stand to our principle of respecting fundamental human rights, and that of democracy than be counted among compromises of the truth,” he said.

Masuku said ordinary people are realizing that there was the need for a complete paradigm shift in the country’s absolute monarch rule.

“I don’t want to blow my own whistle, but if you read yesterday’s newspaper, one member of the house of assembly who has his own political party, and has always been seen as and regarded as conservative said indeed this elections are undemocratic and they are not taking part. And a number of people are also realizing that and are not taking part in the election,” Masuku noted.
He chided those he described as playing “politics of the belly” by trying to convince people to be part of the upcoming parliamentary election.

“We believe, therefore, that only those who are intimidated, and only those who want to practice stomach politics, will participate. But the principled people, the people who know what democracy is all about will not take part. And therefore, the results that we are looking forward to is that the least minimum of people who take part in this national elections. And therefore, they will not have the mandate of the whole citizens of Swaziland that they have formed a government,” he said.

Meanwhile, the government has reportedly announced it would, for the first time in the country’s history, invite election monitors from the United States and Commonwealth nations.

The government believes the move would prove how transparent the country’s young democracy is.

Link http://www.voanews.com/english/Africa/2008-05-06-voa1.cfm

Clottey Interview With Pudermo Chairman Mario Masuku - Download (MP3)
Clottey Interview With Pudermo Chairman Mario Masuku - Listen (MP3)