WELL-MEANING VISION 2022 FRUSTRATED

Sir,

While everyone was parroting the virtues of the kingdom transforming into a First World nation, no one paused to consider first, the practicality of this happening and second, the modalities of how this can be achieved in the event it was feasible. Although many years have gone by since this vision was piloted, no one paused long enough to consider the need to get the entire nation aboard the transformation train. This well-meaning intention was always frustrated by individuals who are self-serving. I can recall vividly many years ago, when during a graduation ceremony at the University of Eswatini, government was charged with compiling data of unemployed graduates.

Expectations

Of course, this created expectations across the nation that this data would be useful in either government identifying areas of development that would absorb unemployed graduates or piloting a social responsibility programme through insurance or other means in order to support unemployed graduates. It is anybody’s guess if this was carried out since the following year, at a similar event, the unemployed were told that they were on their own and should look outside this country for job opportunities. Perhaps had someone within the echelons of power considered the enormity of the First World dream and its possible impact on people, they would have stumbled on the realities of the multi-faceted challenges facing the majority of emaSwati.

Reality

The stark reality is that the majority of the people are still starved of the basic amenities of life to even start dreaming of transiting to another and better world. Many, especially in rural areas, still have to compete with livestock for water. Many still lack the means to make a decent living owing to widespread unemployment such that they cannot guarantee themselves a single decent meal on any given day. Poverty remains foremost in the minds of the majority of our people to even imagine the bolts and nuts of a First World country. Access to health facilities is still a nightmare to many and even where health facilities are accessible there is no guarantee that they are adequately equipped with requisite professionals let alone drugs and equipment.

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