THE ART OF PERFECTING HATRED Two men that had been feuding for years, by coincidence, got sick at the same time and they quickly deteriorated to the point of death. The one man feeling that he was not going to make it through the night asked the neighbour to take him to his arch enemy, intending to make amends. On finding his enemy very sick, he apologised profusely for all the pain he had caused him over the years. But on further conversing they both realised that they both couldn’t remember the reason they had been fighting all these years. What they both remembered is that the fight before they got sick was over who had longer whiskers than the other. They could also remember the fight before that had to do with the number of cows where the second enemy argued that a calf could not be considered a cow so he was still one cow better than his enemy. What they both remembered vividly though was that they were “sworn enemies”: saying it as if they took pride in the statement. When the neighbour told them that the reason they were fighting all these years was because the one had helped the other, they looked confused. The neighbour told them that when the cow of the first enemy had entered the field and was eating the crop of the first enemy, the second enemy had taken a stick to the cow and the first enemy had only seen the second enemy after the cow had come out of the field and had taken offence over the unprovoked beating of his cow. With none giving the other an opportunity to explain, both had lost their wives and children to the feud. WHAT IS IT THAT WE SEEK? This amnesia was seen over Skhanyiso Dlamini’s saga. Maybe before we even talk about democracy and what it is that we seek and that we fight against, maybe it would be enlightening to appreciate that the Monarchy is the governing tool that has got us this far. We cannot then now claim that the institution of the Monarchy hasn’t been helpful as a governing tool even though it did such with a slave driver’s approach. For a while we were willing to sit among the rulers calling the Monarchy our system. Some of us were even part of authority structures as we disseminated this and that law. We seek democracy because the Monarchy has been part of the Order or the Disorder that has got us to this moment where we find ourselves in dire need of change, because the Monarchy like the out-dated vacuum cleaner that it is, it needs to be put aside in a museum where those that value antiques can historical memorabilia can now and again visit in the name of heritage. Please be aware that it is the Monarchy I talk of and not the Monarch. So people like Mswati 111 should not lose sleep thinking it is them I converse of. It is the Monarchy that is the institution of the people and not the Monarch. The Monarch is like a servant sent by the people to represent them, but too often the monarch has been lost in indulging in power that he thought he was greater than the people. Was I to go further on the present monarch of Swaziland I might end up going into sensitive issues where I might question even his legitimacy as a monarch according to Swazi culture because his crowning is a known secret that there is a very high possibility that he is not the rightful king. That there is a possibility that he has siblings when the culture stipulates that the monarch must be an only child to the mother. And also to mention that the mother of the present king was not married to the previous king hence rendering the present king an illegitimate child, and that when the conspirators wanting to crown a stooge, hurriedly performed some marriage rites and rituals as they brewed the fraud. I might also mention that the present king has ruled over human rights abuses and many Swazis have lost their lives in the prison cells, and that when the people formulate the rightful government there is a need that the present king stand in a court of law and answer fort the atrocities he presided over. I might mention all this, but too much has been the filth and the shame coming out of the royal house that to talk of the abuse of the trust that the Swazi people honoured them with, would take much precious time. Suffice to say that the Royal Dlamini house has dishonoured the Swazi people. It is multiparty democracy that we seek. If then the king presides over ceremonial issues as a constitutional Monarch or submits his CV at Ubombo Ranches because the people decided that he betrayed their trust so much that they wouldn’t even want to retain him as a ceremonial figure, well that would be up to the people. But what im clear on is that what we want is multiparty democracy where the king has no say in government issues and the people govern themselves. If the people decide to retain the king as a constitutional monarch, it is up to them even though I so wish that the people can get rid of this “royalness “that has become an institution of nauseating discrimination, and an ill of arrogant entitlement complex. The other option would be for the people to approach another clan for this duty of kingship. I am well aware that the Masekos are very ready to be tried and tested; they have even begun the practice on the other side of the border. The Mambas even have their own Incwala, so they too can be candidates coming with experience. So the Dlaminis should not be complacent thinking that they are the only ones they can administer the kingship. As much as we are campaigning for democracy, we can again campaign that the clan that administers the kingship be changed if the people do decide on a constitutional monarch. We have taken to this thing of choice like a fish to water; so nobody must sit around with an arrogant far-away of entitlement. THE ISSUE WITH SKHANYISO Another issue I have always tried to avoid Is being involved in sporadic clubs of hatred in the name of fighting for the same cause. For democracy activists to chasten PUDEMO when PUDEMO is condemning an ill of the victimisation of Skhanyiso, eludes my comprehension. Has PUDEMO become a hatred club that it should only condemn victimisation of those that stand with it and whoever is against can be subjected to whatever atrocities. What happened to the value that we are all human beings and we all deserve to be treated with dignity? Should PUDEMO now behave like Tinkhundla regime and clamp down on whoever disagrees with it? Are we animals that we should look on when the lion is killing a cub? Just to remind democrats that in a democracy, even the minority’s rights are respected and protected, regardless if the minority could be what is termed as racist pigs. As I get exposed to the few democracy activists who like modern day money-mongering pastors, quote and misquote Karl Marx in attempt to spread hatred is very disturbing. If democracy activism is an exercise to identify “enemies” then I will not be part of it. I will not compete with America in identifying “the enemy” because I know very well the end result of such a futile exercise; America has given us multiple examples on such. However much one can quote Karl Marx and Engels, there is no conflict that was ever solved by identifying the enemy. I cannot help but recognise that some democracy activists are beginning to adopt more and more of the Royal Language. “How can PUDEMO lower itself by conversing with a spoilt brat?” Well I guess by Skhanyiso’s twitter account being shut down, the same message was being communicated that, “How can the Princess converse with mere commoners.” To me then there is no difference with the Royals Traditionalist and the Royal Democracy Activists. Turning PUDEMO into an unapproachable conceited High-Class club is just as pointless as having a royal family that is not accessible to the people. The end result is that it will die an isolated lonesome death, like what is happening to the Tinkhundla regime that is gradually but surely being isolated by the international community. THE END RESULT Like the two men that forgot what the fight was all about, Tinkhundla will think that the situation is about fighting terrorism and forget to govern properly, and by so doing invite further isolation and the Royal Democracy Activists will think that it is all about identifying the enemy and forget to call for multi-party democracy, and end up in a perpetual marry-go-round of Karl Marx essays and endless rhetoric of hatred.
Posted on: Thu, 03 Oct 2013 07:22:57 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015