By Zweli Martin Dlamini

When Kwaluseni Member of Parliament(MP)Sibusiso Mabhanisi Dlamini told Swaziland News journalist Sicelo Mhlanga that it was not his responsibility to maintain the damaged Logoba road,it became clear that this man knows nothing about being an MP hence the people of Kwaluseni and surrounding areas must remove him through the ballot box.

Firstly,Parliament is an institution that approves a national budget;what prevented Mabhanisi to question the Executive arm of Government and demand money to maintain roads in the rural areas across the country?.

Ndzingeni MP Lutfo Dlamini raised the issue of the damaged roads during the budget speech debate last week.

MP Lutfo Dlamini suggested that Government must consider implementing the five hundred(500)kilometreprobase project to cover the whole country,he was within his duties as a Member of Parliament.

So,now we must lecture Mabhanisi so he can understand the role and functions of Parliament in influencing policies to enhance social and economic development?.

It’s true that MPs are not directly responsible for the maintenance of roads but in one way or the other,they are responsible because it is the duty of Government to provide resources and Parliament is an arm of the State that approves a national budget.

Now,here is an MP who failed to raise a socio-economic crisis within his Constituency in Parliament, only to tell a journalist that as an MP,he is not responsible for the maintenance of roads but to pass laws.

MP Lutfo Dlamini demonstrated the role and functions of an MP when he told Finance Minister and or Cabinet to implement the probase project.

That is the role of an MP and as the media,we couldn’t have ignored such a brilliant submission of public interest by Lutfo regardless that it was raised by an MP who is pro-Tinkhundla.

In this regard,I am suggesting that you don’t need to be a pro-democracy MP to speak sense in Parliament,you can be popular among the people even if you support the current system for as long as you address the plight of the masses.

MP Mabhanisi was first elected in 2008,he subsequently lost elections in 2013.

But,the people of Kwaluseni gave him a second chance in 2018,however,he failed to improve their lives.

In light of the aforementioned,it is therefore advisable that MP Mabhanisi must be thrown into the nearest ‘political dustbin’,he is useless.

We don’t want MPs who don’t understand their basic duties of implementing policies and influencing the provision of resources to enhance social and economic development.

It’s true,MPs are not responsible for the maintenance of roads but,their role is to provide a sufficient budget so that the Ministry of Public Works and Transport can maintain the roads.

MP Mabhanisi has failed to do that,the only thing he achieved was to testify against incarcerated MPs Bacede Mabuza and Mthandeni Dube.

As a token of appreciation for testifying against his colleagues,the regime rewarded him by employing his daughter in the security forces.