Mswati picks his new MPs

Loyalty to the monarchy was rewarded Friday with the announcement of 10 palace-appointed MPs to complement 55 MPs popularly elected to represent the Swazi people in the next House of Assembly. "We will take our oath to serve the king. Our job is to look after royal interests," said Prince Guduza Dlamini, Mswati's older brother, who was one of the appointed legislators. Dlamini held the powerful cabinet post of minister of economic development in the government dissolved by Mswati last month in preparation for the elections, held every five years. In fact, all MPs will be swearing an oath of allegiance to the Swazi King when they assume their duties next week. The pledge does not mention the Swazi people, but a majority of members were sent by local constituencies. Although Swaziland's parliament is officially an advisory body to the king, MPs represent the highest elected office holders in sub-Saharan Africa's last absolute monarchy. The king on Friday launched the political career of his nephew, Mphiwa Dlamini, by giving him one of the prestigious and lucrative MP positions. Dlamini is the son of one of the most powerful traditional leaders in the kingdom, Prince Maguga Dlamini. Another of King Mswati's brothers, Prince David Dlamini, is also on the list of royal MPs. Dlamini chaired the Constitutional Drafting Committee (CDC), which produced a national constitution, soon to be ratified by Mswati. Defended by its advocates as a step toward political reform, but derided by critics as a contrivance meant to keep the monarchy in power forever, the constitution strengthens the powers of traditional leadership, and can be read as forbidding organised political opposition to royal rule. Mswati also named his sister, Princess Tsandzile, to parliament, along with two chiefs and three members of the Constitutional Review Commission. The Commission preceded the CDC, and laid the groundwork for the national constitution. Political observers suggested that the list of palace MPs was more conservative than members chosen for the previous parliament in 1998. "Five years ago, we had two young men who were unknowns chosen as MPs, and others from the range of society. This time, the average age is older, and all are well-known traditionalists who have served the palace faithfully in the past," said an attorney with Lawyers for Human Rights (Swaziland). Unlike the parliaments of other nations, Swaziland's legislature has no power. MPs do not create laws, but debate laws brought to them by cabinet ministers, who are palace appointees themselves. King Mswati can override MPs' decisions, decree laws without any parliamentary participation, and dissolve parliament at his will. "Parliament is a rubber stamp. MPs do nothing. What we are seeing are people greedy for privileges, who are scrambling for a piece of the cake," said Alex Simelane, a member of the Swaziland Democratic Alliance. The local press reported heavy lobbying for MP positions at the palace this week. The hopes of political progressives that the traditionalists in the new parliament would be balanced by self-avowed members of political reform groups, who are among the elected MPs, suffered a setback this week with a High Court decision to delay the swearing-in of former prime minister Obed Dlamini. Dlamini, president of the banned political party, the Ngwane National Liberatory Congress, is having his election victory challenged by an election opponent. A flurry of court challenges by disgruntled losing candidates is seeking to overturn about 20 percent of all election results. By naming only two women to parliament to complement five elected women MPs, Mswati raised the representation of women in the House of Assembly to 11 percent. Despite criticisms of the Swaziland parliament's lack of power, even political activists concede that the body can provide valuable training to future leaders. "We fought hard to get women into parliament. We are succeeding," Doo Aphane, national director of the Swaziland branch of Women in Law in Southern Africa, told IRIN. "Swazis now see what these women can do. They see us in positions of authority; they see us speaking from the floor of parliament - this will make an impression. It has been difficult for women to be elected before, now it will be easier. People will no longer dismiss the notion of women in positions of power, or be afraid of us in those positions," Aphane said