Times Of Swaziland: No allocations from the King this year

No allocations from the King this year
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 LUNGA MASUKU AND TIMOTHY SIME on 05/02/2011 00:00:00


MBABANE – For years now, Swazis would look forward to the allocations of
millions of Emalangeni that His Majesty King Mswati III made to different
sectors of the economy in his speech from the Throne.
But this was not the case yesterday, as the King did not announce any monetary
allocations when he officially opened the third session of the ninth Parliament.
Looking closely at the King’s Speech from the Throne for 2011, there was no
mention of money.
Major beneficiaries in the past years would normally include the elderly,
orphaned and vulnerable children (OVC), farmers and Phalala Fund, just to name a
few.
Many of those interviewed believe that the ‘silence’ in terms of monetary
allocations is a result of the country’s unfavourable financial position.
The King clearly said that the country was faced with a number of challenges,
especially financial problems.
Challenges
"Like most developing countries, we are faced with serious challenges as a
result of the global economic crisis, which has resulted in general slowdown in
economic activity in the world economy. In our case, these global events have
affected us considerably because they have led to the decline in the revenue
from the. In this regard, the decline in the SACU revenue has affected some of
our programmes and projects.
Solution
"The nation is looking forward to the forthcoming Heads of State Summit coming
up with a lasting solution to the SACU sharing formula that will be accepted by
all member states," he said.
In the 2009 speech, the King gave a total of E539 million to disaster
management, orphaned and vulnerable children and free education, health, the
elderly, Youth Fund and the Regional Development Fund.
However, in the 2010 Speech, the King made only two allocations – E62 million
for the Farmers’ Fund and E1.5 billion for proper housing.
Meanwhile, the King drew strength from the establishment of the Swaziland
Revenue Authority (SRA), which he expected to be robust in its operations and
work towards achieving set targets.
Dedicated
The King said the SRA needed to be dedicated to its assignment if the country
was to improve national coffers.
"We trust the officers within the authority will work hard in order to justify
its establishment. I call upon the whole nation to support the authority in
order for it to fulfill its mandate," said His Majesty.
Finance Minister Majozi Sithole said there was nothing sinister with His Majesty
not giving out money in this year’s speech from the throne.
"The King uses his own discretion. He is not compelled to give out money. What
is important is the policy direction that he gives to government as the year
begins," the minister said.
Bring Corrupt People To Book - King
LOBAMBA – His Majesty King Mswati III wants all perpetrators of corruption to
be brought to book.
Speaking during the official opening of the third Session of the ninth
Parliament, the King called for serious action against moles that have permeated
the country’s coffers.
He said much has been said about this cancer that has destroyed the country’s
economy and it was now time for action to be taken against such people.
"Maswati! We have talked so much about the evil cancer that has destroyed many
economies of the world. People have been deprived of social services and other
developmental program-mes. As the kingdom of eSwatini, we have not been spared
from this mole as it has permeated into many of our programmes for development.
I am talking about corruption, which continues to show its ugly head in our
country," he said.
"We have seen several institutions suffering from this cancer and I have been
informed that government and other institutions have also been victims.
Justice
"Government has lost millions to suppliers and other people who continue to
siphon tax-payer’s resources illegally. Let all perpetrators of this cancer be
brought to justice," His Majesty sternly said.
The King sent a message to all those who tender for government projects, whether
big or small.
"Ministries should ensure that tenders do not escalate to unacceptable levels.
Companies must be held accountable to their tender agreements and all future
projects should stick to their tender prices. We need to improve our monitoring
and implementation of government projects, if we are to improve our country,"
His Majesty said.
He said the current financial setbacks should not distract the country from its
national vision. The King said the country was a nation that has set high goals
to be achieved and it needs to keep constantly monitoring implementation and
progress of set targets in this regard.
"Government should not lose touch with the people. We must continue promoting
the spirit of consultation and engagement through dialogue forums for the
sharing and exchange of ideas, as this is a fundamental recipe for peaceful
development," explained the King.