Trade union leaders said on Tuesday that the entire country was insulted by remarks made by the king that democracy was unsuitable for Swaziland.
King Mswati III, Africa’s only absolute monarch, made the comments at an Easter service over the weekend.
His remarks were the latest in a showdown over the direction of the country, pitting the king against reformist trade union activists and lawmakers.
”This was an insult directed to all of us,” said Jan Sithole, Secretary General of the Swaziland Federation of Trade Unions.
Mswati’s controversial statement was made at an Easter service Sunday that brought together 500 religious leaders.
”Democracy is a fashion and that is why they are talking about it all over the world, but let us hold on to what is our own. We have our own way of doing things and multiparty democracy is not good for us,” he said.
Sithole said he hoped the king would reconsider his position, saying that multiparty democracy would not mean getting rid of the monarchy as the king and his supporters feared.
Swaziland’s king rules his one million subjects by decree. He has recently ignored court orders curtailing his authority, prompting an international outcry.
His actions led to the resignation of the country’s chief justice and the entire appeals court, spurring a judicial and constitutional crisis ahead of the planned drafting of the country’s new constitution.
Swaziland faces possible expulsion from the Commonwealth if it does not resolve its political and judicial crisis.
Earlier this month thousands of Swazis protested in the country’s main cities demanding the government respect the rule of law. – Sapa-AP