Times Of Swaziland: PAIN OF LIVING IN INDIFFERENT WORLD

PAIN OF LIVING IN INDIFFERENT WORLD
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Emmanuel Ndlangamandla on 15/04/2024 08:08:00


Before I address the topic for today, I would like to express my shock at the
remarks made during the Army Day at Nokwane recently.
UEDF Army Commander, Hulumende Moses Mashikilisane Fakudze was quoted as having
said that ‘they were ready for another civil unrest should there be one in
future’. The 2021 civil unrest is an event we all wish to put behind as it
tarnished the image of our country, which is known to be peaceful. More
importantly, scars are still evident to many scores that lost their lives during
this sad period, as well as those with bullets in their bodies. The security
clusters, of course, suffered a lot in terms of trust with emaSwati. Hence,
there has been a call for dialogue among all emaSwati so that the root causes of
this civil unrest are addressed for the sake of future generations.
Unfortunately, government decided to use the Sibaya route, which in all terms
and purposes is not a dialogue but mere public hearing. And government selected
the issues raised; hence, the recommendations on the civil unrest continue to
take a back burner. But the military feels it should assure authorities that it
has strengthened its capability to use force to confront unarmed citizens.
I am, however, encouraged by the counsel that the Army Commander in Chief, His
Majesty King Mswati III, made during this event where he commanded the army not
to be enemies of the people. This to me was profound because citizens must not
fear their army but must see it as an institution that serves all emaSwati. Back
to the topic for today; I would like to express sympathy to fellow human beings,
whose countries are being ravaged by war. I have in mind Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan
and East of the Democratic Republic of Congo, among others. The media continues
to publish horrendous pictures of flattened cities, villages, mutilated bodies
and thousands buried under rubbles. In Gaza, for example, about 14 000 innocent
children have been killed and Gazians currently face famine. In Sudan, both
armies are accused of committing genocide and millions are displaced to
neighbouring countries and internally. With all these sad and painful
developments, world leaders, particularly the most powerful, seem incapable to
end these conflicts.  Some continue to supply arms that are destroying
populations and infrastructure.
Established
In 1945, after experiencing the two horrendous wars, the global community
established the United Nations (UN) as a beacon of hope and guarantee for human
dignity.  In the UN Charter  it is stated  that ‘we the peoples of the United
Nations determined to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which
twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind, and to reaffirm
faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person,
in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small, and to
establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising
from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained, and to
promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom’. Why
has the pledge to guarantee a world free from wars changed? Why are powerful
nations paralysed? Why are not only governments silent but also civil society
organisations and ordinary people being not engaged in campaigns for peace?
Many countries like Eswatini have decided to be neutral and indifferent as wars
rage around the world. Dr Martin Luther King Jnr was right when he said; “In
the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our
friends.” Elie Wiesel, who survived the Nazi holocaust, said these profound
words when he accepted his Nobel Peace Prize: “We must always take sides.
Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the
tormentor, never the tormented. Sometimes we must interfere. When human lives
are endangered, when human dignity is in jeopardy, national borders and
sensitivities become irrelevant. Wherever men or women are persecuted because of
their race, religion, or political views, that place must – at that moment –
become the center of the universe.” But sadly his fellow Jews today may be
committing genocide in Gaza.
Rwanda has commemorated 30 years since the country lost 800 000 Rwandan Tutsis
and moderate Hutus. His Excellency Paul Kagame, in this even, said; “It was
the international community which failed all of us, whether from contempt or
cowardice” He told this to an audience that included African Heads of State
and former US President Bill Clinton, who called the genocide ‘the biggest
failure of his administration’. Will history repeat itself. Is the Rwanda
experience forgotten 30 years later?  Can humanity unite to end the wars to
preserve the dignity of members of the human family. This is surely not right!