Saturday, April 14, 2012

Imagining a 'New' Swaziland


                                                       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.
   Any politics—regardless of its hue and proffered ideas---that will still have people cast in chains of deprivation (of various freedoms) will not be acceptable.

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