(From Swazi media Commentary 13 October 2008 www.swazimedia.blogspot.com)
This is what they call ‘democracy’ In Swaziland.
Ndileka Dlamini, who runs a pre-school, stood in the primary election this
year and didn’t win.
Or put another way, her constituents didn’t think she was up to the job
and chose someone else instead.
Eventually, in the secondary elections, the people chose Marwick Khumalo.
Now comes the news that Dlamini will be an MP after all because other MPs
have chosen her.
Are
you still following? In the crazy world of Swazi ‘democracy’ the real
people get to elect 55 MPs but then another 10 are chosen by the MPs
themselves (and a further 10 are chosen by the king). Why? Don’t ask
me. It’s what the defenders of the present political system in
Swaziland praise as the kingdom’s ‘unique democracy’.
But wait. There’s an added twist. Marwick Khumalo was in the news last week
when he said that
Swaziland should become a democracy and political parties – at present
banned – should be allowed. So it seems the ruling elite don’t much
like Khumalo and have got their woman elected, even though the voters
didn’t want her.
The Swazi Observer today (13 October 2008) quotes the Swaziland Attorney
General Majahenkhaba Dlamini (who readers of this blog will know last week tried
to pursue Khumalo’s electorate to report him to the police because he
held a celebration party) saying there was nothing wrong with electing
‘someone who lost in the elections’.
Close observers will note there are an awful lot of Dlaminis mixed up in this
story.
Another one, Pastor Mandla Dlamini,
is quoted by the newspaper saying of Ndileka Dlamini, ‘Nothing can
stand on the way of someone’s success if God has purposed it be so.’
[Note from editor – is God a Dlamini too?]
The original motion in the House
of Assembly to allow Ndileka Dlamini to be chosen was moved by Ntuthuko
Dlamini and a whole lot of Dlaminis turned up at a Thanksgiving Service
for Ntuthuko Dlamini. These included MP Frans Dlamini and a long-time
friend Futhi Dlamini.
The only one who wasn’t there was the biggest Dlamini of the lot - a certain
King Mswati III.
That’s quite enough Dlaminis for one blogpost.
See also SWAZI DEMOCRACY MP VICTIMISED SWAZILAND MP WANTS LEGAL
PARTIES
Link http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2008/10/swazi-democracy-new-twist.html
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