Times Of Swaziland: ACCOUNTABILITY CALLS NOT DISRESPECT

ACCOUNTABILITY CALLS NOT DISRESPECT
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The Editor on 19/01/2022 07:56:00


Sir,
In recent times, any hint of robust debate, indeed divergent views, in the
Kingdom of Eswatini has easily been shot down. Some would rather live with the
obtaining Tinkhundla political dispensation with all its concomitant
socio-economic and political issues and all the inherent destructive
sub-cultures feeding on these.
Reflecting
In the midst of it all, while reflecting on matters, I could not help but pose
this question to myself: Is it better for one to die in their sleep or while
awake? On the surface this very innocent question is easy to answer yet, upon
deep reflection, it is not necessarily so. The initial but impulsive answer to
this question is, of course, that embracing death while one is in slumber land
is a far better option. The rationale being that it is far more peaceful than if
death comes while one is awake and in all their senses. This line of reasoning
might lead us to another question and another and another, but the base one
being how conclusive can anyone attest that dying in one’s sleep is peaceful.
The point is, the end is still the same whether death, the finality of it all,
comes in one’s sleep or while awake. While that may well be, the circumstances
and causal factors may vary. Far from the popular belief that dying in one’s
sleep is more peaceful, it seems to me that this is the cruelest way to depart
earth.
Depending
Depending on a number of factors, there may be fewer or no interventions that
can be mounted if and when life-threatening situations come while one is
sleeping. Conversely, similar life-threatening situations can be wadded off with
interventions, including resuscitations, coma-inducing drugs and other
medications, life-support machines, etc, should they occur while one is awake.
If the two aforementioned scenarios were to be transposed to the political
realm, death coming in one’s sleep would represent a political system that is
far from being democratic and, therefore, a hopeless situation since political
power invariably does not reside with the people in an undemocratic environment.
Consequently, death coming while one is awake would represent a democratic
dispensation with checks and balances as well as strong institutions, not to
speak of a discerning and vigilant citizenry and, by progression, represents
hope.  So, if you ask me what is better between extremism in an open democracy,
such as that represented by multiparty democracy, and where you are suppressed,
I would readily vote for the former.
Abuses
Calling on leaders to account for their abuses of office should not and does not
necessarily equate to disrespecting them. As it were, the expectation that
leaders must be accorded automatic respect is misplaced and misguided, save to
feed on their lust for power. A majority of African leaders tried but failed to
instill, even by force of arms, this respect on their people. In the majority of
cases, these leaders only succeeded in alienating and inculcating a culture of
fear and loathing that in many instances is often mistaken for peace. A
multiparty democracy is by far more productive in instilling transparency and
accountability than the ruinous extremism of suppressions, which is responsible
for reducing Africa into a basket case notwithstanding the fact that the
continent is home to the world’s natural resources wealth.