A WAKE-UP CALL

Comment

As we pray for the PM and his full recovery, we do so with the wish to see him return to redirect the ship from its current trajectory. Nobody deserves to be in the situation he is in or the criticism directed at the efforts to help him recover. 

In days gone by, the dominant reaction to the health condition of the Prime Minister, Ambrose Dlamini, who has been flown out of the country for better treatment, would have been an outpouring of well wishes for his speedy recovery because of the buntfu (humanity) and respect that emaSwati have been known for since time immemorial.  However, not anymore. 

In contrast, there is outrage and condemnation from a people who feel abandoned by a government that has neglected or failed to heed calls for the overhaul of the country’s health system to ensure that all lives matter. It is yet another indication that people are no longer afraid to speak their minds.

What everybody deserves is an equitable distribution of national resources in ways that make all citizens feel they are equally important, they belong, their views and opinions are respected and have their needs prioritised.  These are the values that are capable of rekindling the buntfu in us all, but most importantly, giving us a country we can all be proud of - even when the chips are down.  

Our Cabinet ministers ought to receive this criticism as a call to revisit our national priorities. It’s a call to address the shortage of drugs, lack of personal protective equipment for its health workers, insufficient transport for its emergency services, shortage of scholarships, food for the needy, jobs for the youth graduates and inadequate funds to pay service providers. The list goes on.  

On the other hand, there appears to be money available for salary adjustments for national committees (Emabandla), new cars for the ministers and for vanity projects such as a Parliament building that will not add any value to the lives of those in need or improve the national economy. 

The timing of this expenditure could not have been worse and the Mid-term Year Budget Review Report presented by the Finance Minister, Neal Rijkenberg, in Parliament yesterday, tells the story better. We are in deep financial trouble; the sort of trouble that warrants pronouncements similar to the austerity measures of the prime minister when he assumed office.

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