Government out of touch with people

Government out of

touch with people

This is an unedited version of As I See It column article published by the Times of Swaziland on May 15, 2013.

By Vusi Sibisi

First, it was E25 million worth of maize meant for the poverty stricken majority of our people surreptitiously sold off by government to raise money only God knows for what, and next were tons of beans left to rot in a government warehouse that too was meant to alleviate the hunger pangs of our economically deprived compatriots.

Both of these stories made newspaper headlines but hardly caused any shockwaves and were soon forgotten. As usual, the government through its spokesman Percy Simelane, commenting about the sale of the E25 million-worth donated maize from Japan, was unapologetic and instead justified his boss’ actions as having been helpful to those the donation was meant for. He never explained how helpful government’s actions were or where the E25 million proceeds from the sale of the maize went to. It is anyone’s guess.

What is indeed worrying and aggravating in this whole sordid affair is government’s condescending demeanour about its actions. Its position and posture were similar to those it adopted early last year when explaining how a private jet had been secured for the king, the ludicrously unbelievable tale being that the aircraft was a donation from a development partner who did not want his identity disclosed. Similarly, government’s response that it had used the E25 million proceeds from the sale of the donated maize for the benefit of the poverty stricken communities was not convincing. In fact, it appeared government could not even convince itself with its explanation because it was unable to even volunteer how exactly this money had assisted in alleviating poverty.   

As I see it, what is gutting about these two stories is that there are still tens of thousands of people – at least 69% of the population – who still have to face each day wondering from where the next meal would come. Yet government, now acting nonchalantly, had purportedly gone begging internationally on their behalf and when countries such as Japan responded positively by shipping tons and tons of maize to this country, it decided that it had other priorities in tow other than passing on the donation to the hungry mouths for which it had solicited the maize. Or was it all a well machinated case of fraud by the state? To date it remains a mystery what government did with the E25 million proceeds from the sale of the maize meant for poverty stricken communities but my guess is it went into the same black hole of entitlement that was essentially responsible for the financial crisis that crippled government during the watch of the outgoing Cabinet.

Given government’s dismissive stance over its actions, one has the sense that it went to the international community to beg for crumbs on behalf of the poverty stricken masses knowing very well that this was a misrepresentation of fact because it had its own grandiose plans. A misrepresentation because as much as the majority of the people are mired in poverty, government had merely used them as pawns to get the sympathy, and indeed donations, of the international community knowing very well that the ultimate beneficiaries would not be the targeted section of the population. Surprisingly, government, if anything was to be garnered from its spokesperson’s riposte, saw nothing wrong with its actions and in fact expected gratitude from the gullible people it had cheated.

But even assuming that government had employed the proceeds from the sale of the donated maize towards alleviating poverty, which is most unlikely if the tract record of this government is anything to go by, the question arises if the donor country was adequately informed of and agreed to this development. In the event this did not happen this would automatically alienate Japan and the Japanese people for having been led down a blind alley by our crafty leaders and would not want to lend a helping hand in future. The potential of this is a ripple effect that could impact on all external donors refusing to assist in future. Obviously those who would feel the brunt of this will not be those in leadership already enjoying a First World lifestyle but it would be the down trodden people whose lifestyle is a vicious cycle of poverty, deprivation, disease and unemployment.   

Indeed it is hard to believe that Cabinet lives in so tall an ivory tower that it has not come across the face of poverty in rural communities of this country hence its detached exterior to the affected communities. Or Cabinet has a pretty good picture of the impossible living conditions of the majority of the people but is drowning in a warm and comforting cesspool of immorality that it really does not care about everyone and everything else but for its own and its principal’s survival. After all it is common currency that poverty has had such an indelible impact on those on the receiving end to the point of dehumanizing them hence they are even prepared to barter their votes, as the country is going to the Hastings, for fat cakes to keep body and soul together. Yes, food plays such an important part of the election process in the Tinkhundla political set-up that potential lawmakers do not necessarily need to have an intelligent quotient of above one to win elections – all they need is a fair supply of food and, Bingo!, they are in parliament to rubber-stamp decisions of the executive.

It would have been quite instructive how the ordinarily silent people of the Kingdom of eSwatini would have reacted if the stories of the Japanese maize and the rotting beans had surfaced on the eve of last year’s Sibaya, or People’s Parliament. For the people found their voices at the last Sibaya and were unequivocal that they had had enough of this Cabinet and implored the king to dissolve it. In fact the people went a step further; they no longer wanted an appointed prime minister but wanted to vote for their own from within their midst. Yet even when for once the people had broken their silence the leadership still refused and refuses to listen to them and will predictably and deliberately cock a snook by returning almost the same old faces in Cabinet even if no one else can repose faith in their ability to occupy political or any leadership positions.

As I see it, what is more horrifying about the obtaining political hegemony that regards the ordinary people as inconvenient passengers in the ship of state is what else our leadership has successfully hidden from the magnifying glass of public opinion.