Wednesday, May 3, 2017

SWAZI MPs IGNORANT ON PROTOCOLS



Members of parliament and senators in Swaziland have admitted publicly that they do not understand much of the work they do and have signed at least 20 international conventions without scrutinising them.

This emerged during a workshop aimed at educating lawmakers about the importance of the international protocols and how they come into being. 

International protocols include conventions, treaties, charters and declarations. Once they have been ratified, the King would then sign them so that they form part of the laws of the country. 

The Swazi Observer reported (27 April 2017) that MPs ‘admitted that they did not know what they were doing when they passed 20 international protocols last year’. 

It added, ‘The lawmakers blamed this all on the fact that they were never educated on what the international protocols were. They also could not understand the importance of such instruments to the people of the country.’

In Swaziland political parties are not allowed to contest elections. The government is picked by King Mswati III, who rules as sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch None of the 30 members of the Swazi Senate are elected by the people.

See also

UN PROBES SWAZILAND ON HUMAN RIGHTS

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