STRIKE ACTION LEGITIMATE MR DPM, IT’S YOUR GOVERNMENT THAT IS
NOT!
The Swaziland Diaspora Platform has read with utter dismay
reports that the Deputy Prime Minister Themba Masuku has called the ongoing
public service strike illegal and therefore advised that it be called off. The Swaziland
Diaspora Platform would like to reiterate its unconditional support and
solidarity with the striking civil servants of Swaziland.
The strike started by the Swaziland
National Association of Teachers over two weeks ago and recently joined by the
National Public Service and Allied Workers Union and the Swaziland Democratic
Nurses Union illustrates a people at odds with their government, a people who
want a democratic, representative, accountable and responsive government. This strike action
is a declaration that Swaziland is run by an illegitimate system, and the people
want change.
The government of Swaziland should
see this as a vote of no confidence. Workers who were unhappy
with how government was managed and the policies adopted toppled governments in
Romania, Greece and Egypt, just to count a few. A government that
fails to manage its resources and plan effectively is a failed government and
ought to step down.
The lack of empathy in the manner
that government is handling the stand-off with civil service unions is
indicative of the attitude government has to the Swazi people in general. On Wednesday
July 11, whilst government employees protested for a 4.5% salary increment, the
Prime Minister arrogantly reaffirmed his statement publicly that there will be
no salary increment for civil servants for three years.
Government is purposefully not
prioritizing the delivery of quality health and education to the people of Swaziland
and instead focusing on projects that will benefit cronies of the
Monarch. And to ensure that the Monarch continues to use Swaziland
as its personal piggy bank and farmstead, the government sanctions Swaziland
becoming a police state where the few remaining civil liberties are being
infringed upon on a daily basis.
To facilitate Swaziland becoming a
police state, Prime Minister Barnabas Dlamini is able to allocate R22million to
give to the Royal Swaziland Police for the hiring of more police, for
purchasing of armory, and the promotion of some police officers to higher
ranks. This is to ensure that police act as violently as they
have been these past few weeks as civil servants embark on legal strikes.
The recent reappointment of a very
unpopular Chief Justice, who is known to overlook the Constitution in passing
judgements that favour the Monarch and its government, ensures that the
judicial machinery is also instrumental in suppressing the rights of Swazis and
further entrenches a very illegitimate government.
The Swaziland Diaspora Platform joins
the calls for a democratic Swaziland to ensure that Swaziland is governed by
people who care for all Swazis all of the time…Waya Waya!!!
Issued by:
The Swaziland Diaspora Platform
Contacts:
Spokesperson – Ms Ntombenhle Khathwane
Email: swazidiaspora@gmail.com
Twitter: @swazidiaspora
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