MBABANE:King Mswati’s Spokesperson Percy Simelane says there’s no political plot by the Monarch to prevent pro-democracy leaders from participating in the upcoming Tinkhundla elections,dominate and influence regime-change inside Parliament.
Eswatini is ruled by Mswati as an absolute Monarch with Executive,Judicial and Legislative powers.
Political parties are banned from participating in elections and citizens are only allowed to stand for the Parliamentary elections on individual merit.
Responding to a questionnaire from this Swaziland News on Thursday afternoon amid allegations suggesting that police officers within the State Intelligence Unit were conducting a vetting process with the sole intention of disqualifying some political leaders from participating in the elections,the King’s Spokesperson refuted these allegations.
“Our experience is that candidates with political party affiliation have always been participating in the elections.We have Members of Parliament(MPs)from political parties even today.With no intention to buy the King out of anything,we believe he has pooled enough leadership experience to square-up to any socio-economic challenge including political criminality pegged to political dispensation.We believe he knows dissent is part of the leadership game all over the world.In 100 percent of the elections this country has had since independence in September 1968 no MP or candidate has been thrown out just because he has issues with leadership,”said the King’s Spokesperson.
It is alleged that the King allegedly told the State Intelligence Unit and other relevant institutions to conduct vetting and ensure that leaders of political parties do not dominate the next Parliament.
Vetting in the political context is the process of thoroughly investigating an individual to ascertain if he or she is fit to hold public office and if there were no previous involvement and or acts of criminality that might bring the public administration into disrepute.
But a royal insider who works closely with Mswati said the Monarch does not want to witness a repeat of what happened with the current Parliament where three(3)MPs challenged his authority and influenced a political unrest.
“There’s nothing that worries the King than seeing progressives dominating his Parliament,he doesn’t want to see a repeat of bo-Bacede who challenged him and completely changed the political landscape,”said the royal insider who spoke to this journalist.
When asked to respond regarding the issue of the three(3)MPs particularly Mduduzi Bacede Mabuza and Mthandeni Dube who were incarcerated for demanding democracy in Parliament,the King’s Spokesperson asked not to comment saying there was a matter of criminality involving them before the court.
“We beg not to be drawn into committing in the case of two MPs who allegedly revolted in parliament because there is a criminal case involving them before a court of law,”said the King’s Spokesperson.
Reached for comments,Barnes Dlamini,the President of the Swaziland Democratic Party(SWADEPA)said the vetting process should not be used to prevent pro-democracy leaders from participating in elections but instead,it should be a product of engagement during the political dialogue.
Dlamini whose party members intend to participate in the Tinkhundla elections and influence democratic reforms said if it was true that the elections were free and fair,members of progressive groups must be allowed into Parliament to influence regime-change.
“The vetting itself should be a product of engagement during a political dialogue not a political tool to prevent those with different political views to participate in the upcoming elections.If it’s true that the elections are free and fair then pro-democracy leaders must be allowed to participate and influence regime-change,what we want is democracy,”said the SWADEPA President.
King Mswati(pic: Gov).