Times Of Swaziland: Lessons from ‘business unusual’

Lessons from ‘business unusual’
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The editor on 11/08/2013 23:25:00


Sir,
Someone once said, “Forget what hurt you but never forget what it taught
you”, a quote worth remembering as we draw the curtains to ‘Business
Unusual’, a sequel few expected. The critics call it the ‘unforgettable act
of the decade’. I must admit that so far I’m yet to see a man
singlehandedly delivering such a spectacular act: writing, directing and acting
with so much skill as to leave us surprised.
Forgive me for using film language but the way ‘Business Unusual’ panned out
exceeded my expectations of real life action. More interesting is how much one
can learn about this nation and its system by observing just one man.
A man not so easy to ignore, not because of his title only, but also because of
his headline grabbing actions.
How would someone know the most powerful between the Premier and the Speaker?
How would we test the limits of our judiciary system? Would you imagine the
Premier taking his own government to court while keeping his office? Would you
ever think someone could defy the Sibaya and Their Majesties as was the case
with the teachers’ strike?
I bet you wouldn’t ask these questions, let alone answer to the affirmative to
any of them, but lessons learned show; our judiciary has limited power, our
constitution can be ignored by others, a premier can take his own government to
court and yes more scary, someone can defy Sibaya and Their Majesties. The fact
that all this and more can be done by one man in less than five years leaves
many of us concerned about the future of this nation.
It has really been ‘Business Unusual’ like never seen before. No hard
feelings to the Premier and his cabinet but they have taught us things about
this country and its system that we would have preferred not to know.
Hopefully, when we get a new Premier it will be business unusual in ways that
take this country forward. We would prefer to see the more positive side of the
country that we‘ve been scolded for not seeing.
Observant Swazi