Times Of Swaziland: POLITICAL DEBATES  SHOULDN’T BE STIFLED

POLITICAL DEBATES  SHOULDN’T BE STIFLED
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The Editor on 17/09/2013 01:29:00


Sir,
I refer to the front-page article in yesterday’s paper ‘Alpheous Nxumalo
told to ‘shut up’. When politics of the amateurs takes place, you experience
such things. It was very uncalled for, for Nxumalo to be called to order.
Nxumalo was trying to openup the debate, with Sithole moving from the left wing
to the right wing.
It must also be remembered by the public that Sithole, during that time, had not
at his disposal the means of articulating social order. So, it was the state
that was armed to the teeth against demonstrating civilians. Nxumalo must be
reminded that choice is a right on its own, so if political parties are happy in
South Africa with what Sithole does, so be it.
I foresee no problem in that. Swazis must bear in mind that they cannot shy away
from politics and if they do then somebody will eventually take decisions on
their behalf.
That’s why the belatedly democratic Jan Sithole has always advocated for the
openingup of the system. So what the presiding officers did, calling Nxumalo to
order, was way out of line. Sithole is a politician; he should have known how to
handle such questions without jeopardising his chances of impressing the
electorate with his campaign.
As I see it, it seems the politically ignorant Swazi electorate are still
viewing people with major political achievements, like Sithole, as
‘messiahs’ and they feel everything that comes with him carries with itself
political redemption, the restoration of civil liberties.
But it’s not a sail-through like that. Sithole should have been questioned on
what he sees is good now in the system that was not there a decade and a half
ago?
I may try to haunt Sithole with one of his comments: Sithole once said; “ If
you want to fight a crocodile, you must pull it out of the water because if you
get in the water to fight it there, the people watching from the outside must
always know that whenever they see blood, it’s your blood and not the
crocodile’s blood”.
Yesterday-day, Sithole forfeited his democratic reputation and credentials to be
in the same river with the crocodile. The million dollar question is, will he
live?
Stanley Sangweni