By Alec Lushaba - Editor | 2021-04-14
Some elements within the public service and Parliament are engineering campaigns to undermine service delivery which will ultimately make the Tinkhundla system of governance not to be in tune with the masses.
In fact, these forces are not just targeting the executive, but have made the Head of State their focal reference point.
These forces are of the view that enough ground has been covered to push for a revolution that seeks to undermine the institution of the Monarch and portray the Tinkhundla system of governance and the institution as a failure.
Their strategy both domestically and internationally is to disseminate fake news with the aim of undermining the stature of the King and create doubt in the minds of unsuspecting Emaswati who are targeted to react with rage.
ploy
The fact that these fake stories about the country and King are now even repeated in hallowed chambers like Parliament is all a ploy to convince the masses that indeed we have a problem that can only be solved if the King’s powers are curtailed and the Tinkhundla system is replaced with a multi-party system of governance.
This call is not new as some proscribed political formations have been lobbying the international community, including our biggest trading neighbour South Africa, to put pressure on the King to accept these changes.
A direct attempt was made in 2011 when the country sought a E2.4 billion bail-out from our neighbours whilst at the same time seeking a letter of comfort from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) at the height of the global meltdown. The kingdom rejected both and survived.
Proscribed entities who have dismally failed to convince Emaswati have tried without success to sell their story to the international community, but received little joy.
Since these proscribed entities’ direct attempts have failed, a new strategy has been employed whereby leaders of recognised workers bodies under Trade Union Congress of Swaziland (TUCOSWA) have boldly came out to push for political change.
Previously, workers in the private sector have been used with little success as their actions resulted in retrenchments, thereby costing them their jobs.
irrelevant
Seeing that their struggle was becoming irrelevant, the leadership of the public servants associations (PSAs) who directly affiliate to these proscribed entities made it their objective to use the bargaining chamber as another platform from which to attack the system in an effort to push their agenda.
This they do by using information received in confidence and privilege by virtue of their being recognised as legal workers’ representatives which they ultimately disseminate to the public using social media platforms wherein it is deliberately distorted to create confusion and anarchy.
This deliberate misinformation is used to create anxiety, panic and confusion amongst the workforce, thereby painting the government as untrustworthy or confused.
Take, for instance, the case of COVID-19. Since March 2020 when government announced the national emergency, these forces, despite the many good initiatives put in place to combat a once in a lifetime pandemic that was threatening the entire world, created a picture of a government that was clueless of what it was doing.
panic
Issues of personal protective clothing (PPEs) were a challenge or so scarce not only for the kingdom but the world, yet the leadership of the nurses association made it look like it was government that was failing to provide these essentials.
Whilst this equipment and resources on the ground were needed, there was no point in screaming murder unless the goal was to create fear and panic amongst the populace, which feeds to the bigger agenda of undermining the system and the leadership of the country.
Their statements created panic not only to their members but to the public which was accessing their services in various public health institutions, instead of rallying their troops to focus and use available resources to mitigate its impact.
But again a number of dedicated nurses and doctors refused to be used and responded as per their calling to save lives and used the little available material to respond to their duty because they knew the dire consequences of staying away.
The world to date is still playing catch-up when it comes to the threat posed by the pandemic.
Today our challenge is not just the provision of PPE but of rolling out the vaccine. Again, the same challenges we faced when we ran short of PPE, we still face, as the vaccine is still not sufficient for everyone.
It is not because government is failing but the nature of supply by the producers of such vaccines as they are struggling to cope with orders.
But instead of accepting the reality we face and the positive measures being applied, because of our hidden agendas to undermine the King and country, we want to put the blame squarely on government.
confusion
What is worse is that some of their agents, who are government employees, want to worsen the situation and create confusion where none exists.
Some government employees wanted to dictate to the ministry of health the time and pace when the vaccine would be rolled out. But the ministry knowing the urgency and the need to inoculate the elderly and the frontline workers ahead of the third wave, partnered with Luke Commission to expedite the exercise.
This seems to have rubbed people like Public Health Unit Sister Busi Mamba the wrong way. Instead of appreciating the extra hands being provided, she publicly dressed down the Luke Commission staff at Lobamba Inkhundla on Thursday, making them appear incompetent.
This forced Health Minister Lizzie Nkosi to issue a public statement and some sort of an apology to Luke Commission that there was nothing wrong with what their staff was doing.
If anything, the Luke Commission staff is more professional not only with the handling of the exercise but have further put in place a system that will account for every dose that has gone out, something we know little about in our public health system.
It is not only nurses, but the leadership of the teachers association has also ensured that they upped the tempo in terms of creating doubt about the safety of our children in schools.
reality
They too want a perfect environment to operate under, despite the reality on the ground that such conditions are no longer in existence until we defeat this pandemic.
They are not prepared to galvanise their forces because doing so would be making the King and country to shine, yet the narrative is that he must fail. Instead His Majesty the King’s efforts and commitment to ensure the safety and health of Emaswati seem to have disappointed them.
From the very day COVID-19 was declared to date, he has chosen to be with the people and raised resources to fight this pandemic.
Other than only just encouraging Emaswati to adhere to the COVID-19 protocols, the King has further shared his personal experience with the virus, something many would have preferred he kept as a secret and be confined to rumour mongering and conjecture.
He did not, but demonstrated that he too like the over 17 000 Emaswati, understands first-hand their plight, hence his actions would never expose them to danger but want good health and safety.
That he used Incwala ceremony to test many Emaswati who came for it was portrayed negatively as a superspreader event and not one where many people discovered their status.
Again, it is the narrative those opposed to him and the system are selling.
The above situation indicates clearly that government has a challenge on its hands, to not only ensure that Emaswati survive this pandemic but defeat the insurgence within its ranks.
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