King's national dialogue a "good start"

King Mswati III hosted a groundbreaking workshop over the weekend, called a "National Dialogue," which for the first time brought sub-Saharan Africa's last absolute monarch in contact with the views, and sometimes criticisms, of a wide spectrum of Swazi society. "There is no doubt that this has been a success. I've heard ideas that are relevant and interesting, and I was pleased to join a number of tables to share in the various views that were being expressed," Mswati told delegates at the Royal Swazi Sun Hotel in Ezulwini. "For the most part, these were elites in attendance - business leaders, government officials, top lawyers - but for the first time, the king was receiving advice from commoners, and not just his inner circle at the palace," said one participant. Although the media were banned from reporting during the proceedings, several newspaper editors and publishers participated. At the conclusion of the two-day "Big Indaba" on Sunday, delegates said political and developmental issues had been discussed. "At one point, the king turned the table on the press, and he 'interviewed' us. He wanted to know how such gatherings in future could be improved. We told him we need a record of submissions to report to the nation," said Alec Lushaba of the Times of Swaziland. The media criticised the original guest list for its focus on government and traditional officials. Predicting "a national monologue, not a dialogue," one newspaper pointed out that no legal, human rights or women's organisations had been invited. Representatives from the Swaziland Law Society, Women in Law in Southern Africa, the Media Institute of Southern Africa and the Swaziland Council of Churches were later admitted. Political opposition groups, which are banned in the kingdom, were not invited. The People United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) said in a statement: "We reject the king's elitist gathering as non-representational of the Swazi people. Government remains exclusionary, and dictates its will to the majority." However, participants said while decorum was followed, delegates did not hesitate to inform Mswati of the troubles plaguing the kingdom, including HIV/AIDS, a poorly performing economy, and what some participants called an "unaccountable government". By the end of the sessions, Mswati challenged delegates to propose solutions to the myriad of problems raised at the meeting. "This has never happened before, that people with only one agenda: to build a better Swazi nation, had unfettered access to the king," a delegate told IRIN. "All his reign, he has only heard the views of his hand-picked ministers, his brothers and sisters at the palace, and his royal advisors. None of them have a clue as to how ordinary Swazis live. Their motivation has always been self-interest, to promote their own welfare and preserve their privileges," he said. One disharmonious note was struck by Prime Minister Sibusiso Dlamini, who broke the rule against criticising submissions and the delegates making them. Dlamini justified his decision to ignore two Court of Appeal rulings critical of government, precipitating a "rule of law" controversy that left Swaziland without its highest court, forced some judges into retirement, and brought condemnation from international legal and human rights groups. Questioning the objectivity of judges Dlamini said: "Respect for the law should not only be expected from the government, but the judges as well. It must be a true rule of law, not the rule of lawyers." He was referring to the appointment of two high court judges, boycotted by the Swaziland Law Society because they felt the judges had been improperly appointed. At the weekend, Special Rapporteur for the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, Dato Param Cumaraswamy, who investigated the rule of law crisis in Swaziland, released a report supporting the lawyers' stance. "If indeed the appointments of these judges are constitutionally flawed, then the Law Society is quite right in taking the position that it took. Flawed judicial appointments would certainly not give legal legitimacy to the courts in which the judges sit. Such courts would certainly undermine the rule of law," the report stated. As a goodwill gesture to King Mswati, the lawyers suspended their boycott prior to the dialogue summit. "We wished to commend the king for initiating the national dialogue. But government is still contributing to the rule of law crisis with its obstinacy. The king needs a new prime minister who shares his views on reconciliation," an attorney told IRIN. Although banned political parties were not permitted representation at the dialogue meeting, some members of opposition parties, as well as labour leaders attached to the Swaziland Democratic Alliance, were in attendance. Phineas Magagula, president of the Swaziland National Association of Teachers (SNAT), one of the leaders of an anti-government strike last year, said: "It was a good start." Mswati promised to make such national debates regular events, and hinted that political opponents excluded from the first dialogue would be invited in future.