PAIN OF LIVING IN INDIFFERENT WORLD

Before I address the topic for today, I would like to express my shock at the remarks made during the Army Day at Nokwane recently.

UEDF Army Commander, Hulumende Moses Mashikilisane Fakudze was quoted as having said that ‘they were ready for another civil unrest should there be one in future’. The 2021 civil unrest is an event we all wish to put behind as it tarnished the image of our country, which is known to be peaceful. More importantly, scars are still evident to many scores that lost their lives during this sad period, as well as those with bullets in their bodies. The security clusters, of course, suffered a lot in terms of trust with emaSwati. Hence, there has been a call for dialogue among all emaSwati so that the root causes of this civil unrest are addressed for the sake of future generations. Unfortunately, government decided to use the Sibaya route, which in all terms and purposes is not a dialogue but mere public hearing. And government selected the issues raised; hence, the recommendations on the civil unrest continue to take a back burner. But the military feels it should assure authorities that it has strengthened its capability to use force to confront unarmed citizens.

I am, however, encouraged by the counsel that the Army Commander in Chief, His Majesty King Mswati III, made during this event where he commanded the army not to be enemies of the people. This to me was profound because citizens must not fear their army but must see it as an institution that serves all emaSwati. Back to the topic for today; I would like to express sympathy to fellow human beings, whose countries are being ravaged by war. I have in mind Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan and East of the Democratic Republic of Congo, among others. The media continues to publish horrendous pictures of flattened cities, villages, mutilated bodies and thousands buried under rubbles. In Gaza, for example, about 14 000 innocent children have been killed and Gazians currently face famine. In Sudan, both armies are accused of committing genocide and millions are displaced to neighbouring countries and internally. With all these sad and painful developments, world leaders, particularly the most powerful, seem incapable to end these conflicts.  Some continue to supply arms that are destroying populations and infrastructure.

Established

In 1945, after experiencing the two horrendous wars, the global community established the United Nations (UN) as a beacon of hope and guarantee for human dignity.  In the UN Charter  it is stated  that ‘we the peoples of the United Nations determined to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind, and to reaffirm faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women and of nations large and small, and to establish conditions under which justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law can be maintained, and to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom’. Why has the pledge to guarantee a world free from wars changed? Why are powerful nations paralysed? Why are not only governments silent but also civil society organisations and ordinary people being not engaged in campaigns for peace?

Many countries like Eswatini have decided to be neutral and indifferent as wars rage around the world. Dr Martin Luther King Jnr was right when he said; “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” Elie Wiesel, who survived the Nazi holocaust, said these profound words when he accepted his Nobel Peace Prize: “We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Sometimes we must interfere. When human lives are endangered, when human dignity is in jeopardy, national borders and sensitivities become irrelevant. Wherever men or women are persecuted because of their race, religion, or political views, that place must – at that moment – become the center of the universe.” But sadly his fellow Jews today may be committing genocide in Gaza.

Rwanda has commemorated 30 years since the country lost 800 000 Rwandan Tutsis and moderate Hutus. His Excellency Paul Kagame, in this even, said; “It was the international community which failed all of us, whether from contempt or cowardice” He told this to an audience that included African Heads of State and former US President Bill Clinton, who called the genocide ‘the biggest failure of his administration’. Will history repeat itself. Is the Rwanda experience forgotten 30 years later?  Can humanity unite to end the wars to preserve the dignity of members of the human family. This is surely not right!

Post your comment

Your name:

Your e-mail address:

Add your comments:

Please enter the code you see in the image:

Image:

Code: