Times Of Swaziland: Banned entities cowards - DPM Banned entities cowards - DPM ================================================================================ BY KWANELE DHLADHLA on 17/05/2013 04:24:00 MBABANE - Deputy Prime Minister Themba Masuku has labelled banned entities calling for boycott of the 2013 general elections as cowards. The DPM said instead of lobbying Swazis to understand and appreciate their calls for political change, the banned entities force members of the public who eagerly want to participate in the elections to boycott which shows their cowardice. “If you go about writing graffiti and forcing people to follow you, it is a sign of cowardice. Swazis have made the stand known during Sibaya that they want to be governed through the Tinkhundla system of governance and are ready to fully participate during the general elections. So why force them to do something they do not want? this is a sign of cowardice because it means you cannot defend your stance,” Masuku said. In response to Masuku’s assertion, SUDF Coordinator Wandile Dludlu said: “He (DPM) is dancing to the tune of his paymasters. We launched the ‘boycott elections campaign’ because we do not envisage parliamentary elections under the current system of governance. We want Swaziland to move towards unbanning political parties first before we can participate in the elections.” The proscribed People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) and its youth wing, Swaziland Youth Congress (SWAYOCO), along with the Swaziland United Democratic Front (SUDF), have been calling for boycott of the 2013 parliamentary elections. At Msunduza, where SWAYOCO tried unsuccessfully to host a rally to launch the anti-elections campaign, there are a number of graffiti inscribed on public property calling for the boycott of the elections. Along the Mbabane-Ngwenya highway near Sidwashini, a public sign has also been inscribed ‘boycott elections’. When asked whether they (proscribed entities) were responsible for the graffiti, Dludlu said: “In an environment like Swaziland, where the people are banned from using the radio and other state-owned media houses to advertise, the people use anything they come across to spread their message.” However, Dludlu did not commit himself on whether they were responsible for the graffiti or not. His Majesty the King recently advised Swazis against using violence to fast track change in the country, saying they should not be tichwa-nguchwangu. Tichwanguchwangu refers to very pompous and violent people who have no regard for other people. The King emphasised the importance of humbleness and compassion, especially when addressing problems that require certain changes to be made for betterment of the entire country. Pastor Warren wants to be an MP LOBAMBA - Following the King’s advice that Swazis would have made a wise decision to elect God-fearing MPs, Pastor Moses Warren would love to be a parliamentarian. The renowned Ekuphumuleni Church in Zion pastor, who is a self-proclaimed supporter of the Tinkhundla system said this after the King disclosed that God-fearing parliamentarians would positively impact on the development of the country. He also said he was dedicated to prove that the King’s assertion was indeed true. “I have registered for the elections because I respect the country’s authorities. The country’s authorities have called upon all Swazis to participate in the elections, therefore, I also want to contribute positively towards development of the country be it through voting for a God-fearing member of parliament or being part of the team that will enact prudent legislation that could improve Swaziland for the better,” Warren disclosed after registering for the elections at Lobamba yesterday. When asked whether he would stand for the elections at Nhlambeni, Warren said: “If the electorate have a feeling that I can best serve their interests at parliamentary level, I would not resist being elected as an MP for as long as the people want me to be their representative.” When asked what would be his major focus given the opportunity to be an MP, Warren said he would focus on enacting investor-friendly legislation and would work towards creating more job opportunities. “If I were to be an MP or maybe should I say the kind of MP I would vote for is one that would contribute towards the enactment of legislation that would not be against the will of God. I am saying this mainly because enacting laws that are against the will of God could attract curses for the entire nation. I am sure no one wants the country to be cursed because this could cause problems,” Warren noted. ... to meet target, 15 300 people need to register within 37 days MBABANE- In order for the Elections and Boundaries Commission (EBC) to register 600 000 Swazis for the upcoming elections, 15 300 people need to register within the remaining 37 days, on average. This is according to calculations done by this newspaper through dividing the number of remaining days (37) before voter registration comes to an end by the number of people targeted to have been registered by the EBC before the closing date. EBC Chairman Chief Gija announced that according to information sourced from the government statistics department, 600 000 people are eligible to vote. He said the EBC targeted to register the maximum number of eligible voters. According to information sourced from the EBC, on the first day, 4428 voters were registered at the nearly 400 registration centres countrywide. On Tuesday 6 343 voters were registered on the second day of elections. Meanwhile, 8 114 voters were registered on Wednesday. This brings the total number of voters registered within the three days of voter registration which entered its fourth day yesterday to 18 885. Don’t charge cellphone on equipment - Gija MBABANE – EBC Chairman, Chief Gija, has said people who connect any hardware into computers used for elections registration will be arrested. The chairman said it was quite disturbing that already there were cases where persons were found to have charged their mobile phones using the official computers. “We got to know about this because these computers are programmed to record everything that is being fed into them. We will report anyone who plugs in anything to the police. We urge parents, chiefs and senior election officers to discourage this habit,” said the chairman on national radio yesterday. His assessment of the ongoing voter registration was that it was work in progress as people were getting into it albeit at a slow pace. positive He said registration was now a four-minute process, which was a positive development because it showed that the equipment was being used efficiently. “I also think the idea of voter registration did not reach the masses that well, which made the initial turnout up rather low. We expect at least 600 000 people to register to vote by June 22. We are pleading with the nation to register to vote in the elections to influence the make-up of their government,” said the chief. Apart from saying there may not be a time extension once the deadline of June 22 had elapsed; he said Swazis working in foreign missions would be given a chance to register before the deadline. Asked about the tendency of election officials in the Hhohho region to probe those who had come for registration whom they would vote for, he responded that this was very wrong and should not be done. He said people who came with their birth certificates should not immediately be turned back. Lulakeni now divided as some register NHLANGANO – Camps have emerged among residents of Lulakeni over the voter registration process. While a certain group remains adamant that they would not register until their demands were met, some have defied that resolution and proceeded to register at Sigwe Inkhundla. Shiselweni Elections Officer Gordon Mbuli confirmed the development. Mbuli said even though he could not confirm the exact figures, he personally went to the registration centre and found people taking part in the process. The area’s chief, Prince GasaWaNgwane, also said registration was ongoing, blaming the past two days’ boycott at the Sigwe registration centre on a few dissidents who just wanted to drag his name through the mud. “You can call the area’s headman if you want to prove for yourself that people have heeded the call to participate in the registration process,” he said. The headman, Philemon Msibi, who coincidentally is one of the people the residents want removed as a competent witness, could not be reached for comment. Notably, the group that staged a ‘sit-in’ at the registration centre on Monday still maintain that they are not going to register until the desired action is taken by the authorities. The residents want two competent witnesses removed and replaced by people who will be chosen after proper consultation with the community. A compromise to have the two removed was reached at a meeting with the Shiselweni Regional Administrator, Paul Dlamini, on Tuesday. There were, however, pending processes that have delayed the process but residents vowed not to register until the matter is brought to conclusion. One protester, who opened up to the media on condition of anonymity, said she heard that some people had gone behind their backs and proceeded with registration, amid the unresolved issues. “We have gathered that the people close to the matter have organised their relatives to go and register, in order to create a facade giving the impression that everything is well. We will not be fooled by their tricks, and we maintain that we are not going to register until the conditions that we set are fully met,” she said. Another protester said they were still to look into the issue of the voters who had defied their early decision not to register. “It is still premature to say these people are in defiance of our position, it could be that they are just ill-informed but I hope they will get the opportunity to be initiated to the true picture during a meeting scheduled for Sunday,” he said. The protester said they were not contemplating taking any action against the people who registered, because they were not really boycotting the elections process but merely wanted things to be done in a proper way. He said during the proposed meeting, they will give an opportunity for everyone to see how they ended up taking the decision not to register, which they will maintain until their views are heard.