LUDZIDZINI – Bantfu balambile!
Poverty and high unemployment rate have been listed among the issues that undermine peace and political stability in the country, as detailed by Nkwene Member of Parliament Sikhumbuzo Dlamini. The legislator was the second speaker in the panel of presenters at the Sibaya yesterday, and he was tasked with making a presentation on what could bring political stability in the Kingdom of Eswatini, and the qualities of a rightful candidate for the head of government vacancy. Dlamini said one thing that could ensure political stability in the country was for people to lead better lives. He submitted that people were hungry and a great percentage of the population was unemployed. Dlamini said in his previous term in Parliament, between 2013 and 2018, government had not given itself time to reach out to the people at the different tinkhundla across the country, through such policies as decentralisation.
He shared that such policies were a move in the right direction, but they remained on paper and there was a strong need to implement them for the betterment of the populace. “Lemakhaya, sive sakho Ngwenyama silambile sifuna imisebenti. The youth in particular, came out in numbers to participate in the general elections, but the biggest challenge is that they remain unemployed. The King gave us a task as businesspeople and Parliament to find ways around the creation of jobs and that is one way to maintain peace in the country,” he said. Dlamini further shared that his solution, particularly on the issue of unemployment, was that the new Parliament should ensure that there was uniformity in the budget allocated to the different ministries, because there was a tendency of undermining some ministries.
He made mention of the Ministry of Sports, Culture and Youth Affairs, the same ministry that looked at the welfare of the youth, getting the least budget allocation. Dlamini said the 12th Parliament had the task to make sports and culture a lucrative industry, where young talented persons could earn a living. “There are jobs that need no caterpillars or mining of minerals but talent in sports and culture. As we have a desire to show the world what we are about as a country, we can use the sector of culture to achieve that by awarding financially, the persons that excel at it and make it their every day job. We have global sports stars who have amassed a fortune through sports and we can emulate them. Our sports and culture should be professionalised,” he said. On the issue of the rightful candidate for the position of prime minister, Dlamini submitted that it should be someone who had a better understanding of the system of government and had the interest of the people at heart.
He made an example that the King was prioritising the interests of the elderly and if the head of government would be parallel to that principle, and opt to redirect such funding for other things, it would not be in the interest of the people. A question was posed to Dlamini on what the role of MPs could be in maintaining political stability, so as not to be seen inciting violence using their parliamentary power. Dlamini said if the Executive (Cabinet) could employ the expected speed in service delivery; instability could be avoided at the different tinkhundla. He said one thing that resulted in volatility was that the MPs had a lot of pressure from the people who elected them in terms of service delivery and if there was laxity in the part of the executive, it was the MPs who carried the cross.