WORLD MONARCHISTS TO DEFEND ESWATINI FROM POLITICAL EXTREMISM

MBABANE – Three associations have been established in Europe to defend the institution of the monarchies around the world.

They listed Eswatini as one of their own, adding that they exist to defend all monarchies from political extremism. Extremism in politics is essentially a political term which determines the activities that are not in accordance with norms of a State, as they are fully intolerant towards others. These activities reject democracy as a means of governance and the way of problem solving, and they also reject the social order. The associations are the British Monarchist Society, Constitutional Monarchy Association and International Monarchist League.
The league is the prominent one among the three. It is based in the United Kingdom, with its delegates and groups drawn from around the world. The Constitutional Monarchy Association has categorised the monarchies. Eswatini falls under reigning international monarchies alongside Japan, Denmark, Brunei, Kuwait, Monaco, Malaysia, Belgium, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg and Cambodia, among others.

advantages

Other countries fall under the category of Governors of the Crown, which include Australia, Bahamas, Canada, Jamaica, Grenada, New Zealand. There are also Loyal Friends of the Crown and Non-Reigning International Royal Family Families. Apart from the Constitutional Monarchy Association, the Monarchist League states in its profile that its objective is to unite all who share its belief in the advantages of monarchy for their nation State. Like monarchy itself, the league says it is independent of any political party or group. As a result, it has made it clear that prejudice against any section of the community has no place in its policy or programme. Drawn from many countries and from all walks of life, the subscribers of the league span the whole political spectrum, although many are without any political alignment.

According to the organisation, its purpose is quite simply, to support the principle of monarchy. The league states that it represents adherents of differing styles of monarchy, from constitutionalists to absolutists, recognising that differing traditions require differing styles of leadership. It states that among its subscribers are supporters of different claimants to vacant thrones. “The interests of the Monarchist League lie far more in the future than in the past, and it has a high proportion of student subscribers,” reads its profile. The aims of the league can be summarised as -  
*     To unite support for the monarchical system;
*     To work for a better awareness of the advantages of monarchy;
*     To foster respect for monarchy and to defend those royal prerogatives which enable monarchs to be truly the fount of justice and honour, and to safeguard their peoples from political extremism;
*     To liaise with and support monarchist groups throughout the world in the preservation and furtherance of the monarchical ideal;
*     To counter unjustified criticism of monarchy in the media, and from whatever source it may come.

The league publishes a regular journal and other items which cover a wide field, dealing with modern problems of monarchy, recording and publicising events of interest to monarchists, and keeping subscribers abreast of news from monarchist movements around the globe. It says its publications are read by leading royalists, historians and politicians. They are issued free to league subscribers and complimentary groups. As well as receiving the journal and other publications, subscribers have the opportunity to attend the league’s social events, which are always attended by a distinguished gathering, including members of royal houses around the world.

Subscribers are encouraged to participate in local activities, enabling them to gain greater benefit by meeting and interacting with fellow monarchists. “We endeavour to provide advice on how to support the royal house in which any subscriber has a particular interest,” states the league. Most important, by joining the Monarchist League, the entity has said the subscribers knew that they were helping to defend, sustain and promote mankind’s oldest institution - an institution which they all believe to be, without doubt, the finest form of government. In its profile, the monarchist league believes that both history and contemporary experience prove that the monarchy has been, is, and will continue to be, of inestimable value in establishing and maintaining the stability, welfare and dignity of all countries.

tranquil transition

In Spain, for example, the league states that the restoration of the monarchy ensured a tranquil transition to democracy. It said the people of many other countries had seen a return to constitutional monarchy as their way forward to establishing the free society that has been denied under extreme regimes of the left or right. “The world’s most stable nations are monarchies,” states the International Monarchist League. The three organisations are of the same belief that the constancy and political impartiality inherent in a soundly based monarchy secured for its people freedom from civil or military dictatorship and ensured a genuine concern for the welfare of the entire community. Last week, the Times SUNDAY referred to four studies that claimed monarchies could perform better than republics – economically.

The researchers from USA and Europe, agreed that monarchies outperformed republics in many ways particularly in the economic space. For instance, a study by a USA think tank showed that monarchies tended to perform better than republics – economically. According to the study, monarchies have delivered extremely high standard of living for their populations.
It is stated in the research released by Cato Unbound that more than half (23) of the 43 monarchies in the world are among the 50 richest countries. By contrast, of the 157 republics, only 27 are among the 50 richest, a mere 18 per cent. The research outcome was authored and released by Dr Mauro F. Gullen, the holder of the Zandman Endowed Professorship in International Management at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He is also the holder of a PhD in Sociology from Yale University and a Doctorate in Political Economy from the University of Oviedo in his native Spain.

Percy Simelane, the Director of Communications at the King’s Office, said he had heard of the formations of the monarchist groups – informally. He said he had no official record of Eswatini’s participation in their activities or consultations as a monarchy. Commenting on the study on monarchies outperforming republics, Simelane, in the previous interview, said they had no reasons to think the research had missed the point. “It is spot on!” he said. The director mentioned that the fact that 23 per cent of the 50 richest countries of the world were kingdoms tended to speak volumes of the standard of leadership that was obtaining among monarchies on planet Earth. He said Eswatini remained a developing country but it had been rated as a medium income country for decades, a clear indication that its economy was not so bad.

uncertain terms

“It you look at the 1994 UNDP report it puts it in no uncertain terms that the standard of living in Eswatini is one of the best in the region,” Simelane said. He said Eswatini’s current economic growth was at 7.9 per cent from a negative 2.1 per cent in 2011. He said the economic growth was realised at a time when most economies of the world were not doing well.
When King Mswati III took over in 1986, the communications director said clean drinking water supply to communities covered only about 40 per cent of the country. “It now stands at more than 80 per cent,” he said. He mentioned that the King has also successfully led the country into the following projects:
*     Rural electrification;
*     Free primary school education;
*     Free ARVs;
*     Youth Development Fund;
*     Phalala Referral Fund;
*      Rural Development Fund;
*     Social grants for the elderly;
*     Free medication for senior citizens (over 60 years) in public hospitals;
*     National constitution;
*     His Majesty the King is now considering free secondary school education;
It must be said that the study was not conducted by this publication but intellectual researchers are responsible for it.

Thulani Maseko, the Chairman of the Swaziland Multi-Stakeholder Forum (MSF), said the reality of the Swaziland (Eswatini) socio-economic and political situation was that, for the last 49 years since April 12, 1973, emaSwati had suffered under the terrible internal colonialism of royal supremacy and domination. He said the monarchists that existed to defend the monarchy as an institution were informed by their own experiences with their monarchs. While they have always believed that a monarchy could coexist with a multiparty democratic dispensation, Maseko said credibility and legitimacy of the monarchy in the country has been shaken since the death of people during last year’s civil unrest, coupled with the malicious persecution and prosecution of the pro-democracy MPs.

interrogate

“The Swazi people (emaSwati) have begun to interrogate the question of what value, if any, do we as a people derive form a self-serving, insensitive and irresponsible institution,” he said.
He said those who defended monarchies in Europe might be doing so because theirs were not absolute ones, but they were subjected to a civilian democratically elected government. He said there had never been and there should never be choice between democracy (multiparty) and the monarchy or Tinkhundla.  In the country, Maseko said the monarchy was Tinkhundla and Tinkhundla remained the monarchy. “We are not seeking a referendum on whether Swazis (emaSwati) want freedom under a multiparty democratic dispensation or the perpetuation of royal oppression and domination. Whether the institution survives is a matter for those who will have a chance to participate in the dialogue,” he said.  He said they could not choose between freedom and oppression.

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