POLITICAL DEBATES SHOULDN’T BE STIFLED

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

Post your comment

Your name:

Your e-mail address:

Add your comments:

Please enter the code you see in the image:

Image:

Code: