Christian leaders in the Kingdom of Eswatini have petitioned parliament to establish “an independent commission” to look into arson attacks and ensuing murders occasioned by political differences.
In their petitions submitted to members of parliament in Eswatini Monday, November 7, officials of the Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace, and organizations affiliated to the Swaziland Coalition of Concerned Church Leaders also urge the lawmakers to push for the actualization of the national dialogue, which aims at realizing political stability in the Southern African nation.
"We submit our petitions in two areas: Accountability on the national dialogue; establishment of an independent Commission of inquiry into all politically related /motivated killings or deaths and the accompanying arson attacks on citizen," they say.
Officials of the Christian organizations say the petitions presented to Parliament are “indispensable conditions for the normalization of the social, economic and political situation.”
The Christian leaders express concern that in the past year, killings have become common in the country.
“Over the past year in our country, killings have become part of our ordinary lives. It is becoming more and more apparent that as a country, we have chosen the path of death than that of life,” the Christian leaders say in their petitions.
“It is clear that we no longer see in each other the God in whose image we have been created,” they say, adding that dwellers of Africa’s only absolute monarchy “have taken God’s place as creator deciding on the lives of others.”
The Christian leaders further say that the Emaswati have rejected God as the Father “as we no longer see each other as brothers and sisters, but have chosen the ‘blame game’ labelling others as adversaries, terrorists, enemies.”
The officials of the Christian organizations condemn “all that which constitutes a violation of human integrity and everything that offends human dignity.”
“We denounce all crimes committed in the name of the security of the State as if the State were absolute and not at the service of the people," they say.
The Christian leaders are concerned that the Southern African Kingdom seems to be living in the deception that the nation has returned to normal after pro-democracy protests rocked the State last year.
The anger of many people, “particularly the youth who see no answer to their frustration and no spaces to voice them” has been ignored, they lament.
“They (youth) feel that some are full citizens but others second class ones. Some seem to have access to every opportunity in the country and the rest to the leftovers," the Christian leaders in Eswatini add.
In their restlessness, Emaswati youth can be easily deceived by those who offer them violence as the only possible solution, the faith-based leaders say.
With the national dialogue that was announced last year yet to take place, the Christian leaders say that they find regrettable that problems in the Southern African kingdom remain unresolved.
They say that they wish to see the dialogue "being meaningfully and honestly speedily implemented in order for all emaSwati to develop their potential and contribute to the building of a just, peaceful and progressive Eswatini.”
“We believe that after the dialogue, we will have a system that will promote the common good, protect individual rights, accountability and it will allow the majority of the citizens to participate in the issues that touch all spheres of their lives,” Christian leaders say in their petition to parliament.