MBOMBELA, 25 July 2021:- The Communist Party of Swaziland says that the recent response of  absolute monarch Mswati that “everything belongs to the king”, ruling out any rational engagement with people calling for democracy and freedom, disqualifies him from the political future of Swaziland.

“The monarchy and the feudal system must go,” said CPS leader Kenneth Kunene in response to Mswati’s comments and refusal to end the violence against pro-democracy activists.

Close to 100 protesters have been killed by the police and army since the country’s youth started calling for democratic change in Swaziland.

Initially, many had simply called for changes to the existing regime, such as by electing a prime minister. Some Members of Parliament have also called for “more democracy”.

Kunene said that these calls for minor alterations to the system have now broadened into more full-fledged demands for real democratic change, beginning with the unbanning of political parties, free media and the safe return of exiles, and leading to free and fair democratic elections.

“Mswati has changed prime ministers, pretending that a new face in his regime means something different. But it’s a meaningless move, and people now see that”, said Kunene.

“The current system has to end in its entirety. Feudalism must be abolished, and that means the monarchy must go. Some countries have opted for constitutional monarchies in the change to democracy. This would not work in Swaziland, where the idea of absolute control by some imaginary bloodline over every area of Swazi life is hardwired into the thinking of the elite.”

Kunene said that the CPS wants to see a national democratic revolution in the country.

This would sweep aside the oppression of the monarchic and feudal system and create a new constitution that guarantees social, economic and political freedoms. It would be a strategic stage on the road toward the full liberation of a socialist system.

For now, the CPS and its activists and others in the wider pro-democracy movement are engaged in bitter struggle against the Mswati regime.

The Party’s rallying call #DemocracyNow and demands for an end to all prohibitions on political and media freedoms have been taken up increasingly in many of the recent freedom protests.

The regime took a conscious decision to clamp down with deadly force on protestors.

The signal for this was the call by Mswati’s brother in Parliament for the police and security forces to “fight fire with fire”, even though protesters had not attacked them.

“Right now, what’s needed more than anything is aid to the victims of regime brutality, solidarity with the pro-democracy call, a ban on dealings with the regime, and meaningful international action supporting real democratic change”, said Kunene.

CPS Press Services