Thousands of people gathered in the small kingdom of Swaziland on Tuesday for the first public talks on the country’s long-awaited new Constitution, criticised by pro-democracy groups for not curbing the king’s powers.
The tiny country wedged between South Africa and Mozambique was expected to adopt the Constitution before the end of the month.
But pro-democracy groups have said the document, which has been in the making since 1996, did not curb the powers of King Mswati III, but rather strengthened his hold on the poor southern African nation.
Speaking at the traditional meeting place at the cattle byre at the royal palace in Ludzidzini, about 20km south of the capital, some speakers called for a ”more representative” Constitution.
Last year, the country released a draft Constitution which still gave the king the power to dissolve Parliament and maintains a ban on political opposition.
”Mr Chairperson, it boggles the mind as to what do you mean in the draft Constitution when you say people have a right to freedom of association,” said Senzo Dlamini, a former journalist, now working for the government.
”My view is that the draft Constitution should spell it [out] that party politics is allowed in the country,” he told the meeting, which has been billed as the ”people’s Parliament.”
Another speaker, Harry Dlamini, a former regional official for the Swazi government, said he was ”happy with the status quo”.
”But I also think that somebody like the prime minister should be elected from all the people who live in Swaziland, not only the royal family,” he added.
In June, James Morris, the United Nations envoy for humanitarian needs, stressed the country’s dire need for food aid after four years of consecutive drought, exacerbated by HIV/Aids.
Mswati, a polygamist with 12 wives has been criticised for his prevalence rate of 38% and poverty grinding its population of 1,8-million people. – Sapa-AFP