Prince Guduza lashes out at cabinet

LOBAMBA - One could hear a pin drop as Prince Guduza, in his final Parliament address, lashed out at Cabinet stating that “after all, failures have nothing much to offer, but noise.” 

The prince, at the end of the business on the Order Paper informed MPs that it was only proper that he make his final address and he read it out in English. 

He said he had wished that the goodwill of Parliament had been left intact, but following the security incident last month where the police raided parliament with some form of court order such an incident “eroded the sacred character and sanctity of Parliament.”
He said the action left a bitter taste in their mouths.

Power

“We can only hope that will never happen again that one arm of Government will use its unlegislated power over the other or rather have two arms of government colluding against one, in ultra vires fashion,” he said.
Ultra vires means ‘beyond one’s legal power or authority’.
The raid occurred during the arrest of Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Chairman Marwick Khumalo and Treasurer Senator Bhutana Dlamini for an alleged E5m mismanagement of the Swaziland Branch funds.

The Speaker said the bond between the media and Parliament was imperative in any democracy and he commended the media for adding value to the information partnership.
“Nevertheless, we cannot turn a blind eye to the silent ban imposed on Members of Parliament in the government controlled media and the unsurpassed cen-sorship,” he said.

He said such an act had militated against the spirit of the system of governance, Tinkhundla and deserved no emulation by any successive government.

Classic

He said a classic example of Parliament and the media working together in the interest of the electorate was the recent expose of the rotten beans meant for the underprivileged and needy.
“Hollow and senseless explanations given were not convincing enough to outweigh the negligent and reckless action of government,” he said.

The presiding officer said the media was first to place the issue of the Land Grab saga by Cabinet ministers in the public domain.
“Exercising its oversight role on the Executive, the House of Assembly pounced on the matter and the illegal apportionment of crown land was aborted,” he said.

Illegal

He said the same applied for the illegal transaction that saw government purchasing a piece of land for E31 million without Parliament’s approval.
He said no action had been taken against those involved but hoped that the next government would take some action.
He said after the illegal discovery the House resolved that the transaction should be nullified and that the public funds should be repaid back to the consolidated fund.
“Regrettably, the illegal usage of public funds without Parliament’s approval seems to continue unabated,” said the Speaker.

The Speaker went on to state that in some cases, the funds had been used to award those who were friends and allies of government and to punish by overlooking those in the enemy camp.

Loyalty

He assured MPs that for those of them who had walked in the corridors of Parliament a little longer, he envied the commitment to national service, dedication to duty and unwavering loyalty to the country.

“Desperate and ill-conceived attempts or efforts aimed at undermining the excellent work you have done for your King and country, should be treated with the contempt they deserve. After all, failures have nothing much to offer, but noise,” said the prince.

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