Opposition group gives government ultimatum

Opposition group the People's United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) on Monday threatened to intensify a political campaign against the Swazi government if it failed to meet its demands within seven days. "Already the international community has taken note of what is going on in Swaziland. If the government fails to heed our concerns we will make sure that increased pressure is brought to bear on the king to affect meaningful changes," Gabriel Mkhumane, the chief representative of PUDEMO for Africa and the Caribbean, told IRIN. PUDEMO has called on the government to repeal a royal decree passed in 1973 which effectively banned political opposition and muzzled the press. King Mswati III's father, King Sobhuza, outlawed political groups and meetings when he overturned the nation's independence constitution and assumed control of government. "We will show our discontent in many ways. The ongoing injustice of one family having total control of how the country is governed is unacceptable," Mkhumane said. In December last year Amnesty International said the government's alleged disregard for the rule of law and its attempts to undermine the independence of the judiciary jeopardised long term protection of human rights. "The current crisis in the rule of law is symptomatic of the repressive political environment that has existed for decades. It was inevitable that this would happen at some point," Mkhumane added. PUDEMO is reportedly Swaziland's largest opposition party, yet is illegal. Forced to work underground, it has found it diffcult to promote its ideas of political reform among Swazis who remain proud of their traditions. A controversial Constitutional Drafting Committee, appointed by Mswati a year ago, has completed a draft of a new constitution and is awaiting instructions for handing it to the king, who is expected to make the draft public. "Although we have yet to see what is included in this draft constitution, we can only imagine that it will not be very sympathetic to concerns raised by opposition groups regarding democratic transformation. After all, the committee tasked with the writing of draft were mainly chosen from Mswati's inner circle," Mkhumane said. The group said it would step up its media campaign to highlight alleged ongoing rights abuses in the mountain kingdom. Part of the protest included a demonstration at the African Union summit in Mozambique scheduled for July. Meanwhile, South African President Thabo Mbeki on Sunday said the Southern African Development Community was concerned about events in Swaziland. Reuters quoted Mbeki as saying: "There is the situation in Swaziland which is of major concern to the region, some things need to be done. Mbeki was speaking at an African editors forum held in South Africa. More details