IGNORANCE ON SWAZI DEMOCRACY

I am astonished at the ignorance about the lack of democracy in Swaziland shown by some members of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) who are meeting in the kingdom this week.

According to the Times Sunday, an independent newspaper in Swaziland, Ernest Britto, Minister for the Environment and Tourism in Gibraltar and Vice Chairperson of the CPA Executive Committee, Kathleen Casey, believe ‘democracy is good’ in the kingdom ruled by King Mswati III, sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch.

Britto even went so far as to say Commonwealth countries are accepting Swaziland as a democratic country.

The two made their comments in the very week that Sipho Jele was arrested for wearing a PUDEMO T-shirt and ended up dead in jail in very suspicious circumstances.

This week also saw a clampdown on civil liberties and freedom of association at the Workers' Day celebrations last Monday (1 May 2010).

Two months ago the United States State Department issued a 11,200-word report that detailed the human rights violations in Swaziland.

Members of the CPA really ought to do their homework before making such ignorant public statements that Swaziland is a democracy.

It is beyond my comprehension why the 35 member executive of the CPA are meeting in Swaziland for three days starting today (10 May 2010) to follow ‘an extensive programme to support the advancement of parliamentary democracy’ through the 54-nation Commonwealth.

Swaziland has no parliamentary democracy. The prime minister Barnabas Dlamini was unconstitutionally selected to his office by the king who also appointed most of the people who sit in Swaziland’s government.

The violations of human rights and democratic freedoms in Swaziland are too numerous to mention here (just about every post in this blog is about the lack of freedom in the kingdom).

There is a campaign at the moment to protest to the CPA about their visit to Swaziland and to try to educate members on the realities of life in Swaziland. To find out more go to the Swaziland Solidarity Network (SSN) Forum here or the SSN Facebook site here.

BARBARIC POLICE AT WORKERS' DAY

The following is a media release from the Swaziland Solidarity Network [SSN] about police tactics at the recent May Day / Workers’ Day celebrations

03 May, 2010

A Most barbaric form of "Dialogue" at May Day Celebrations by State police

Staying true to its new found but rather imaginary self-image of a tolerant and democratic government that is open to dialogue with the country’s opposition, the government of Swaziland had a rather unique sort of dialogue this weekend during the May Day celebrations. In a move which infuriated members of the two organizations who had converged at the Salesian sports ground in Manzini, the Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions (SFTU) and the Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT), the police disrupted the celebrations by arresting invited guests and workers and confiscating their recording equipment.

The four invited guests who were taken into the Manzini police station for questioning were: The People’s United Democratic Movement [PUDEMO] activist Mphandlana Shongwe; Swaziland Youth Congress [SWAYOCO] President, Wandile Dludlu; Dr. Sikelela Dlamini, a PUDEMO activist and Marie da Silva who is part of the recently launched Swaziland Democracy Campaign.

The reason given for taking in these four for questioning and disallowing them from taking part in the celebrations was the false statement they are not employed and thus should not participate in a function of workers. Despite the fact that it is untrue that all four are unemployed and cannot fit the definition of the word worker, unemployed people have always participated in May Day celebrations and in fact many of the people present at the event were not employed. The real reason behind what the workers have labelled “a barbaric act by police” is that these four are associated with the Liberation movement [PUDEMO] in the country. They were later released after it was certain that they had missed out of the celebrations. Other workers, however, were detained and charged.

An unidentified man from Ncabaneni was arrested and charged for contravening the controversial Suppression of Terrorism Act by wearing a t-shirt bearing the PUDEMO logo. Another unidentified man was also detained for unknown reasons but was later released without being charged. A teenage girl who was part of a drama group that performed at the event was saved by throngs of workers from the police who wanted to arrest her under the terrorism act as well for merely shouting the words “VIVA” to one of the proscribed entities. While all this was going on, a group of workers from SNAT, the teachers’ organization were taking pictures. This did not go down well with the police who confiscated the camera and only agreed to give it back to its owners after they had deleted all the pictures that showed their barbaric actions.

Despite being infuriated by the fact that their speakers had been barred from the event by the police who were intent on disrupting it, the workers decided to go ahead with the celebrations. It was evident, however, that the spirit of the event was not as jubilant as it otherwise could have been.

As the Swaziland Solidarity Network [SSN] we strongly condemns this barbaric behaviour of the Swazi police under the command of King Mswati and call for urgent intervention by SADC into the Swaziland situation before is too late.

Issued by the Swaziland Solidarity Network [SSN] South Africa chapter

ARRESTED FOR BEING UNEMPLOYED

Four pro-democracy activists were arrested in Swaziland on May Day (1 May 2010) because they are ‘unemployed’.

At least that’s the excuse the Swazi state forces gave when they stopped the four from attending a workers’ rally organised by the Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions.

Police said they arrested the four before the meeting started because it was a function especially for workers and the speakers were not workers.

Sikelela Dlamini, Mphandlana Shongwe, Wandile Dludlu and Marie da Silva – all well known activists - had been invited guests.

Police grabbed the original copy of Sikelela Dlamini’s speech and photocopied it for ‘filing purposes’.

Mphandlana Shongwe is one of the leaders of the Swaziland Democracy Campaign. He says he was subjected to house arrest after police arrested him. He said after being interrogated for two hours, he was taken to his home where he was warned to remain indoors.

He says he was ordered to make a statement in writing, explaining why he attended the Workers’ Day because he was not a worker. He said police also told him that he was not supposed to celebrate with workers because his group, the People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO), was proscribed as a terrorist entity by government.

The four were taken to the Manzini Regional Police Headquarters. A police spokesperson said the four were not charged but were held for questioning.

Police were reported to be on the lookout the rally at the Salesian Sports Ground for anyone seen wearing T-shirts supporting banned organizations or who were heard shouting pro-liberation slogans.

A teenage girl who introduced a drama group by shouting VIVA was whisked away by marshals to safety. The police had wanted to apprehend her. One of the senior officers told the marshals that an offence had been committed.

Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions Secretary General, Mduduzi Gina, received a tip-off that police were planning to arrest him for praising one of the proscribed entities through a VIVA shout.

Plain clothed police confiscated a digital camera belonging to the Swaziland National Union of Teachers (SNAT) and deleted 35 pictures - they were apparently angry that they were being photographed.

Among the deleted pictures were some of police taking the four arrested political activists to a van.

PROOF OF NO FREEDOM IN SWAZILAND

The following is a media statement from the Swaziland Democracy Campaign (SDC) following the police action on Saturday that saw a meeting to launch the SDC cancelled after police illegally held SDC leaders.

Another Attack on the Swaziland Democracy Campaign (SDC)!

Press Release - 19 April 2010

The weekend actions of the royal Swazi police is a further demonstration that freedom of assembly and expression in Swaziland does not exist. These actions are a further indictment of the widely held myth that Swaziland is a peaceful, democratic and caring society ruled by a benevolent royal family.

Despite a court order obtained by the Swaziland chapter of the SDC granting them permission to continue with the public launch of the Campaign inside Swaziland, the royal police clamped down; arresting and detaining two of the coordinators of the Campaign, raiding the home of a third member of the Campaign coordinating team preventing him from attending the launch, preventing the attendance of the PUDEMO President, Cde Mario Masuku, and frightening off supporters of the Campaign. This action follows the royal police clampdown of the 12th April commemorations which marked the 37th anniversary of the banning of political parties in Swaziland.

The SDC condemns the actions of the Swazi regime that prevented the peaceful launch of the Swaziland Democracy Campaign’s Swazi chapter.

We also commend our comrades efforts inside Swaziland. We will continue to support your preparedness to unite and challenge the repression and the wastefulness of the royal elite through the Swaziland Democracy Campaign!

We will not allow a repressive regime to frustrate us in our struggle for liberation, justice and democracy in Swaziland! We will continue to mount pressure on all fronts until Swaziland is free!

An urgent joint meeting of both chapters of the SDC is being planned to chart out a way forward.

Aluta continua!

Phambile Swaziland Democracy Campaign!

SWAZI POLICE BAR DEMOCRAT MASUKU

Mario Masuku, President of the People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO), was stopped by police from attending a legally-convened meeting in Swaziland yesterday (17 April 2010).

He was among activists trying to attend a meeting of the Swaziland Democracy Campaign.

As I reported yesterday, two of the meeting’s organisers were taken in by police before the meeting started and the meeting was abandoned.

Masuku, a prominent progressive in Swaziland, last month received a democracy award from a Danish organisation. He is also known throughout the world after he was held in prison for 10 months on remand on a terrorism charge only for a judge to throw out the case hours into a trial that was expected to last several days.

The judge criticised the Swaziland Government for the way it brought a case that had no merit.

According to a report in the Times Sunday, an independent newspaper in Swaziland, police were yesterday waiting for Masuku at the Boscoe Centre, Manzini, the venue of the meeting.

The Times reports, ‘By 10am, police officers had been deployed at the centre and had an instruction not to allow Masuku to be part of the meeting.

‘When Masuku was about to enter into the hall, one of the police officers identified as Inspector Magwe stopped Masuku and told him he had been instructed to stop him from attending the meeting.

‘By then, the rest of the activists were already inside the hall singing political songs while waiting for Masuku to enter.

‘After a few minutes Vincent Ncongwane, the Swaziland United Democracy Front (SUDF) Secretary General went out to check why Masuku was not joining them only to find that he was not allowed to enter the hall.

‘Masuku tried to argue with the police officers as he explained that he was attending the meeting in his personal capacity.

‘The police would hear none of it.

‘The PUDEMO President tried to walk towards the door but was quickly stopped by officers who told him that he would not be allowed to walk in.’

The Times reports all those who attended the meeting felt there was no use in continuing with the meeting when one of their members had been banned from attending it.

A decision to suspend the meeting was taken and it was agreed that the organisers would inform all the activists about the next meeting.