Imagining a 'New' Swaziland
The
ultimate yardstick for democracy and multi-party politics in Swaziland, once
ushered in, will not be the fact that an undemocratic government would have
been ousted. Rather, it will be the strides taken by those who will be holding
the reins of government at that time, to liberate the majority of the people
from grinding poverty and deprivation. Take a casual glance at the rest of the
African continent, and you will see that the foregoing is easier said than
done—many promises have been made, but actions fall short.
To extricate a people of a country from such
social vices as deprivation and hunger, does not involve the paternalistic
policies that most African governments have adopted in pursuance of this goal.
Rather, an open political system, where all individuals and groups can
participate freely in governmental processes becomes imperative. I must
emphasise, though, that this does not happen with the wave of a magical wand.
Such requires the existence of class-conscious politics within a country. The
people and the leaders must understand that, as Mukoma wa Ngugi aptly noted,
‘that there is an inherent contradiction in a wealthy elite subsisting on the
majority poor…’. This state of affairs—though prevalent in Africa, and
obtaining in present day Swaziland—endangers the stability of a society, and
further accents socio-economic inequality.
I think that nearly everyone understands
that there isn’t, necessarily, a direct correlation between multi-party
politics and an improvement in the lives of people. But, I hasten to add that,
a pluralistic society gives a better chance to people to impact on policies
that affect their lives, and in the process, bettering their lives. Succinctly
put, the aforementioned social system affords a greater chance to the elusive
principle of democracy in our society. Therefore, what is needed in a “new”
Swaziland is not only the people’s right to elect different political parties
into government every after a fixed period. That will not be enough.
A desirable new dispensation of politics in
this country will be one where both government and its people will understand
that, the democracy needed is not only of the ballot box, but, where conscious
moves are made at alleviating poverty among the masses, encouraging creativity,
and fostering debate on all issues that affect the people, without fear of
intimidation. We have had enough of unique democracies, and those that serve
certain cliques. As Mahmoud Mamdani asserts, ‘So long as democratisation drives
are dominated by urban lawyers and churchmen and do not engage with the rural
patrimonial structures that remain intact, they are unlikely to alter the
political basis of the African state significantly.’ This quote begs an
important question applicable almost throughout the continent: Is the lack of
development in Africa a failure of democracy, or the failure of the state? I
digress.
Viva!
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