SADC turning blind eye to Swazi repression - Dlamini

| Friday July 25, 2008 00:00

 

MMEGI: Welcome to Botswana. Take us back, how was the Peoples United Democratic Movement formed?

DLAMINI: It was really conceived a while back. It existed perhaps as an idea at the height of the liberation struggle. A lot of Swazi people who were involved with the liberation movement in apartheid South Africa had a major input in the formation of the movement. The Soweto Uprising and other events then also had a bearing on the rest of the sub-continent; meaning that the mood had a ripple effect on the rest of the region.
In Swaziland in particular, King Sobhuza II suspended the constitution in 1973, and imposed a state of emergency, which granted the monarchy absolute power and banned opposition movements.

All these events led to the emergence of an organised group, which opposed the state of affairs and in 1983 PUDEMO was officially formed.
The Youth League was formed in 1992 and the Women's League the following year.

MMEGI: What were the major objectives of PUDEMO?

DLAMINI: Our primary objective has always been the establishment of a multi-party democracy system in Swaziland. However, we are also particularly worried about the human rights situation in our country.
 Swaziland is an absolute monarchy. What does this mean for a political party such as yours?

DLAMINI: We are a banned organisation because, according to the constitution, political parties are illegal.

MMEGI: How do you run an illegal organisation successfully? Where do you get funding? How do you measure the level of your following?

DLAMINI: We just depend on our own personal earnings to sustain the movement. We have a major problem because people feel threatened to come out and support even if they follow us. The monarchy is very powerful and for anyone to take membership in our party they would have to forgo a lot in their personal and professional life. However, we know that we have a substantial following because the position we hold is what the majority of Swazis support.

MMEGI: We know that the situation in Swaziland is perhaps similar to that obtaining in Zimbabwe. Why is it so difficult to get the world's attention on the Swaziland situation even though it has been unfolding for a long time?

DLAMINI: Zimbabwe is a mess just like Swaziland. But I believe Swaziland is worse because it does not even have any pretence to adhering to some democratic system. In Zimbabwe there was a time when some sort of democratic system was used whereas in Swaziland none of that ever happened and the repression is at the same level if not worse.

The reason why the Swaziland issue has not captured the attention of the world, the Western world in particular, is because the monarchy serves the interests of the former colonisers. The monarchy is not a threat to Western interests. Remember that even the Zimbabwean issue never captured global attention until Mugabe became a threat to the corporate and imperialist interests.

But also you have SADC, which has shown the same lukewarm attitude toward the state of democracy in Swaziland. I mean Swaziland is a signatory to so many SADC protocols on elections and democratic governance. They do not even uphold any of those principles and yet you won't hear any complaint from SADC.

MMEGI: How do you see the Botswana situation then?

DLAMINI: Botswana is similar to Swaziland in many ways. The political system in Botswana is favourable to the imperialist interests; so that is why Botswana continues to be praised as an icon of democracy despite the open limitations in its democratic system.

MMEGI: How far are you from reaching your goals especially that of a democratic Swaziland?

DLAMINI: There is progress minimal as it is especially regarding our major goal. But you know, we do not just measure our progress with real changes to the system we are contend to have more and more people showing a dedication to our vision. We are working on a long-term change. Ultimately the challenge would be on the Swazi people to say enough is enough and change the system.

MMEGI: Let us turn to Africa once again. What do you think has been the major cause of this seeming loss of direction in liberation movements post-independence? Look at ZANU-PF, who could have thought that we would be seeing the current crisis under ZANU-PF? What happened to that vision?

DLAMINI: The liberation movements lacked a definite policy position that is developed by the masses and could be defended by the same. Those policies would have guided against political careerism. So what you see as soon as the liberation movement takes over people start to think of themselves alone and forget the primary goals of the liberation struggle. A government formed from a liberation movement should always remember that it exists for the sole benefit of the majority of the masses. After long the policies become self-serving. You find the political elite exists to basically defend their own misappropriation of the state resources.

MMEGI: However even where the country is relatively peaceful and economically stable, a majority of people still wallow in poverty. Look at Botswana, or South Africa, countries that are consistently praised for rapid economic growth, a majority of the people still live in poverty. What is the cause of this discrepancy between the praise by the international community and the hopeless situations of poverty?

DLAMINI: The policies are designed for the interests of only a few together with their international supporters. That is the problem. So you find the disjuncture between what the international community says about the country and what the majority of the people feel because the people do not enjoy the benefits of the success.

MMEGI: As a woman, and a leader in such a big organization how do you view the position of women in Swazi society?

DLAMINI: Swaziland is a patriarchal society. Women are also relatively reserved as a result. We do have women in leadership positions and others who are specifically dedicated to addressing women issues. Our movement has taken the position of giving the people's issues more attention because we think everyone is oppressed; so we are fighting for everyone's liberation.

MMEGI: You have been invited by the Botswana National Front. What is PUDEMO's relationship with the BNF?

DLAMINI: We share the same values, and are both dedicated to real democracy. We are opposed to imperialism in any way or form. We have the same way of thinking. However, we have not been completely working together and are just starting to explore areas of co-operation.
We have a working relationship with the South African Communist Party. We are moving towards establishing more of these relationships with other sister parties in the region.