ASPIRING TO BE PM?

I found it instructive, as it was somewhat conclusive, that the Kingdom of Eswatini operates from a completely different - if not somewhat odd - political landscape when, immediately after issuing two unpopular controversial statements that were largely seen as anti-labour and not in the best interests of consumers, respectively, Chief Executive Officer of Business Eswatini (BE) Nathi Dlamini was rained with criticism and accused of positioning himself for the vacant position of prime minister (PM), which he of course denied. 

Dlamini had appeared in the press to be applauding a three per cent electricity increase for domestic consumers awarded to the Eswatini Electricity Company (EEC) by the energy regulatory authority (ESERA), a position roundly condemned from many quarters. But Dlamini may have been misconstrued in what appeared to be praising the electricity hike when he, in fact, was applauding the new EEC pricing model that has removed domestic cross-subsidisation of electricity by business, which he explained ‘had served to create artificially high costs of doing business in the country’. But that was lost in translation to the larger body of public opinion hence they accused him of courting appointment to the position of PM. The erudite Dlamini’s other sin was suggesting that public sector employees should be paid only for hours worked. This owing to the COVID-19 pandemic that has forced government to scale down operations to ensure that only a minimal number of civil servants reported for duties while the rest remained at home. He explained that paying people for doing nothing was bad fiscal stewardship, thus opening the floodgates of criticism from the public, but this time also including Members of Parliament (MPs) who wondered if he was pushing a political agenda. 

Position

As I see it, that Dlamini has denied posturing for the PM’s position ostensibly because ‘politics is not my game’, is beyond the point. Convincing he might be, but he, or anyone else for that matter, could never publicly declare an appetite for the position. Even assuming he was interested in the position would be presumptuous of him to openly admit the fact given the context of Eswatini policy not to speak of cultural propriety. Possibly everyone would wonder about his sanity were he to openly declare his political ambitions in this respect, which in some quarters could also be considered ‘unSwati’. The fact of the matter is that there always are ambitious individuals, qualifying Dlaminis that is – campaigning underneath the radar of public scrutiny - aspiring for the position of PM whenever the position becomes vacant for one reason or the other, even if this is a rarity. But none is idiotic enough to make public their political aspirations and to campaign openly. After all, the so-called unique Tinkhundla political system supposedly frowns upon such open and public self-political marketing, which it has delegated to third parties. 

But the point is not about whether or not Dlamini was positioning himself for the position of PM through his unpopular positions on the electricity increase and payment of public servants for hours worked. The point is how on earth unpopular positions can be interpreted to translate to political aspirations when it is populist tendencies that normally would inform and are indicative of an individual’s political agenda. In the majority of political jurisdictions, normally considered open democracies, Dlamini would have automatically alienated himself from the electorate and thus disqualified himself from contestation of any public office position. The rationale being that public officers, including politicians, are in service of the people or the electorate in such countries such that Dlamini’s political aspirations would have been stillborn because of his unpopular positions on issues impacting critical constituencies, consumers and public servants, and by extension, workers in general.

Explained

As I see it, this strange case of unintended consequences can only be explained by the nature of Eswatini’s political system. In-turn, that Dlamini, through his two unpopular positions on issues negatively impacting two important constituencies, in the eyes of the larger public automatically qualified himself, instead of the other way, for appointment to the position of PM is an indictment on the political hegemony and government. While on the subject of the vacant PM’s position, there is increased urgency to fill the position before the beginning of the new fiscal year now that the budget is before Parliament, which has given itself until mid-March to have it passed. Ideally, the new PM should be in office by then or beginning of the financial year in April. This brings to the fore the question of Sibaya, where a new PM is traditionally appointed and presented to the nation. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is not possible to gather the nation at the Ludzidzini Royal Cattle Byre without transforming it into a superspreader event and might require a measure of creativity to make it happen. Since the pandemic broke out, activities requiring convergence of a group of people are hosted virtually, which might be the way to go even with Sibaya as well.

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