BAKANGWANE UNDERSTAND POLITICAL DIPLOMACY

I have interviewed, interacted with His Majesty the King on many a times, and I noticed something.

Former Ngwemphisi MP Mthandeni Dube is on the right track. He told the court that he still upheld the King in high esteem. Of course, in his submissions during press briefings in 2021, Dube, quite often, talked about the importance of the monarch staying above politics. This is not to suggest that Mduduzi Bacede Mabuza spoke ill of the King. There is something that Lobamba Lomdzala MP Marwick Khumalo said to the King during the legislators’ introductory meeting with him at Mandvulo Grand Hall in November 2023. Khumalo said His Majesty introduced several programmes on the country’s political and economic reforms, asking him to never forsake what he used to do in the past. He said the King allowed emaSwati to make submissions through Vuselas (national consultative exercises) which led to the evolution of the Eswatini electoral system.

I am trying as much as possible to advise my fellow citizens that diplomacy and respect are best approaches to selling political ideas to the King. The militant approach will never work. The defiance campaign has failed and continues to fail. What Mthandeni did should be commended. I have personally realised that His Majesty is receptive to people who embody the virtues of diplomacy, respect and humility. Any militant or approach laced with disrespect and humiliating tendencies is usually met with resistance at the palace. EmaSwati should understand the royal titles for all the Kings who have ruled this country to understand their philosophies.

challenges

Their ideologies may appear the same in terms of governance, but they react differently to challenges and provocations. One is free to do his own analysis of the past Kings. In present day Eswatini, we have the King with the official royal title “Mswati”. Generally, any King called Mswati is a kind-hearted monarch, loving, good organiser and initiator, protective of his people and territory, but never mess up with him. As said earlier, the best approach to have him sit down at the negotiation table is the diplomatic one, which allows all parties to exhibit the art of appropriately managing relations with honesty, selflessness and high degree of respect. It is important to have a good posture of yourself, which portrays you as a nation-loving person, but someone with traits of arrogance or warlord personalities attracts total rejection and mistrust.

I covered an assignment in the 1990s when teachers, under the leadership of the late Meshack ‘Kati’ Masuku marched to Lozitha Palace to complain about poor working conditions.
They had not set an appointment with the King. They resolved on the day of their extraordinary meeting to march to the palace to meet him. Fortunately, the King met them and further provided them with lunch. Masuku, in his address to the King, was perceivably emotional and minced no words in his criticism of Cabinet. However, the King did not appreciate his ‘tone’, which he felt it clouded the good things the teachers were presenting to him. Imagine emaSwati with the posture or character of Reverend Nicholas Nyawo, Manqoba Khumalo, Dr. Phil Mnisi, Neal Rijkenberg, Dr. Thambo Gina, Mandla Hlatshwayo and many others with intellectual and ‘facial’ honesty approaching the King for advice on political reforms.

I am sure the King would want to listen to them. The country’s MDM (mass democratic movement) lacks those appealing faces and approaches. The MDM’s insulting brigade will never win the hearts of the authorities of the country. There were many changes in the country because we had Dr. Joshua Mzizi, Dr. Ben Dlamini, Sam Mkhombe, Mario Masuku, among others, expressing political opinions with verve and honour. It was uncommon for Masuku to utter derogatory remarks against the person he needs to implement programmes on change. That is why he had a good audience with the King at some point is his political career.

appointed

Otherwise, he would not have been appointed to the Constitutional Review Commission (CRC), a position he later rejected. Drake University states that politics can provide us with many opportunities for enriching discussion.The United States-based university has ideas on how to show respect in politics, which are as follows -
* Be honest (with others and yourself) about the information you distribute regarding candidates, policies and opinions. There is no shortage of inflammatory materials online.
* Be tolerant of other viewpoints. You do not have to agree with another person’s beliefs in order to show them respect. Remember, just because you are passionate about an issue does not make you right. Do not start political arguments that you know will hurt other people’s feelings or damage relationships. Keep in mind that not everyone enjoys debating the issues.
* Take time to learn about the candidates and the issues (in our context learn about the people making up the institution of the monarchy). Get information from reliable sources. Learn about the candidates from non-partisan sources.
* Consider what is best for the community (in our case, country). Consider all viewpoints before you make a decision.
* If you are not sure what to do in a tricky situation, treat others the way you want to be treated.

The International Parliamentary Union defines political tolerance as accepting and respecting the basic rights and civil liberties of persons and groups whose viewpoints differ from one’s own. All parties are to exercise political tolerance. It is not easy to drive change if you do not know the 10 conservative principles. Eswatini is a conservative State, a dual system that emphasises on culture and tradition. Hereunder are six of the 10 conservative principles as stated by Russell Kerk are as follows –
* Conservative believes an enduring moral order exists. That order is made for man, and man is made for it: Human nature is a constant and moral truths are permanent.
* Conservatives adhere to custom, convention, and continuity.

They believe in what may be called the principle of prescription - Conservatives sense that modern people are dwarfs on the shoulders of giants, able to see farther than their ancestors only because of the great stature of those who have preceded us in time. Conservatives are guided by their principle of prudence. Any public measure ought to be judged by its probable long-run consequences, not merely by temporary advantage or popularity. They pay attention to the principle of variety. They feel affection for the proliferating intricacy of long-established social institutions and modes of life, as distinguished from the narrowing uniformity and deadening egalitarianism of radical systems.

imperfectability

Conservatives are chastened by their principle of imperfectability. Man being imperfect; no perfect social order ever can be created. For any good political course, those who advocate for change should research about the people they are driving to implement the change. In conclusion, I am pretty positive that the authorities of the country are receptive to advice and let us continue engaging each other through principles of dialogue and diplomacy. If we do so, the future generations will salute us for good statesmanship and excellence in public administration.

It would take another 55 years or more to realise the change that they want if they continue hurling insults, belittling and harassing elders. Body-shaming tendencies coupled with political theatre have failed to yield the fruits that are edible in the political space. I read an article sometime ago in which the journalist was subjecting a woman as old as her mother to humiliation. This is not the journalism we advocated for and this is not the journalism our children should study and adopt. I have observed with sheer disappointment that there is excessive journalism heresy in Eswatini.

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