PUDEMO WANTS NEGOTIATED SETTLEMENT

MBABANE – The Peoples’ United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) which was banned for being a terrorist organisation now wants a negotiated settlement to change the political landscape of the country.
PUDEMO held its 8th General Congress from February 21-23 where the organisation revised its strategy and tactics document.

Sources said prior to the Congress PUDEMO members had raised questions during meetings on whether to engage in either an armed struggle or a negotiated settlement.
A report on the congress states that caution will be applied while efforts are made towards the negotiated settlement.

“The removal of all the laws and conditions that ban political activities shall constitute a strategic victory for the movement, leading to the creation of political conditions which shall make it possible to pursue the objectives of the transfer of political power to the people through negotiations.
“However, strict caution must be delivered that in any form of negotiations, what cannot be won on the battlefield cannot be won as well on the negotiating table, while on the other hand, what can be won on the battlefield can also be betrayed on the negotiating table. We are not negotiating the freedom of our people, but how best to transfer power to the people.

“In this regard, whatever prospects may arise in the future for a negotiated settlement, they must not be allowed to infect the content and purposes of our present strategic approaches,” the report states.
PUDEMO says it is not engaged in a struggle whose intention is merely to generate sufficient pressure to bring the other party to the negotiating table, “but that which seeks to ensure the decisive transfer of power to the people and negotiations being a means towards that end.”

On another note, PUDEMO said it believes that the mass democratic movement is not yet strong enough to contend seriously for power.
“It has not yet mastered the necessary capacity and power to defeat tinkhundla. But, the positive reality is that the democratic forces matured over the years with the net result that the conditions are daily ripening for a decisive advance to people’s power.”
 

Post your comment

Your name:

Your e-mail address:

Add your comments:

Please enter the code you see in the image:

Image:

Code: