Times Of Swaziland: CORRUPTION-FREE ESWATINI NEEDS NATIONAL  EFFORT

CORRUPTION-FREE ESWATINI NEEDS NATIONAL  EFFORT
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Son of the Soil on 15/04/2024 08:11:00


As the excitement builds up towards the prospects of a ‘new and improved’
Eswatini, I keep asking myself what institution and mindset shifts we should be
looking forward to.
Those like me who believe this country has the potential to be way better than
it is, from a socio-political and economic point of view, need to understand
that it is not only a change in the power dynamics that will magically turn the
country into the Switzerland of Africa or, indeed, the utopic First World
country, which a section of our population fantasised that we would have
transformed into in the year 2022.
Coupled with institutional changes, and even more importantly, is the need to
have a change of psyche in every liSwati from every walk of life. The Bible
speaks of how new wine cannot be poured into old wineskins because they will
burst. If we were to get into a new dispensation, however, far-fetched that may
appear at the moment, with our old predominant mindsets, we would do more damage
to this country than has been witnessed under the past and present leadership.
There are many examples, the world over, where a change in leadership and system
of governance did not deliver the desired change as people expected it. I am a
firm believer that everything stands and falls in leadership. However, I also
believe that the leaders are a product of the followed, if you will, and that
attitudes, values and practices, in more ways than one, are a reflection of the
masses.
Entrusted with power, the ordinary human being needs to be reined in not to have
unfettered latitude to do as he pleases, often to the detriment of the
collective. What the collective allows, even by silence acquiescence, will go
and in no time become institutionalised. What the collective desires, they have
the power to demand and influence into actuality. What I am trying to say, in
short, is that the society we live in, with all its ills and strengths, is the
making of no one else but us the collective.
Leaders
We need to think deep about how we envision a new Eswatini to be like. Detached,
for a moment, from the shenanigans of our leaders, we need to think about what
each one can do to make this nation great. As workers, students, pensioners; as
mothers and fathers; as leaders in our own little spaces, what can we do? What
value system do we want to inculcate in this process of renewal that has the
potential of making each of us proud to be emaSwati. We cannot look to Hospital
Hill for all the solutions to our problems. Democratisation of this country does
not in and of itself, change the lackadaisical attitude towards work that we see
in, for instance, the public service.
While effective performance management systems can contribute to that, to some
extent, we need the culture of service and excellence to come from a deep sense
of duty and patriotism that transcends any man-man system of human management.
Imagine, if you will, a public service swelled with men and women whose pride
and joy is in giving excellent service to the citizenry without the need to be
encouraged through ‘cool drink’ incentives. Imagine what experiences we
would have in schools and hospitals. This does not mean at all that I have
conveniently forgotten the appalling working conditions most of our public
servants find themselves in. However, we can still do better in serving the
citizenry, even under these conditions.
Responsibility
Transforming a nation is process; a real labour of love. We cannot therefore,
think we will surprise ourselves and change as though under a spell of a magic
wand. We must take responsibility for the changes we can begin to implement at a
micro level. Keeping the country clean, for example, needs a change of attitude
far more than it needs the enactment and implementation of laws and regulations
that force people to comply. If we cannot be tolerant to divergent views from
other family members and engender a culture of consultation, which projects
itself even at national scale. So, as the national have processes begun, let us
allow ourselves a chance to introspect and decide what future we are creating
for our children. Let us take care of the things we can take care of and demand
what we should from the leadership. We cannot expect of others what cannot be
expected of ourselves. Our actions or lack thereof, as ordinary emaSwati, are a
great part of what will define the Eswatini we want.