… As Parliamentarians begin their induction workshop
BY KWANELE TSABEDZE
MBABANE – “ As we are going to do our work, we should think of solutions that will grow our economy exponentially.”
These were the words of Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini when speaking to
Parliamentarians today at the commencement of their induction workshop held at Happy Valley Hotel today.
The Prime Minister reminded the Parliamentarians what their mandate is, as advised by His Majesty King Mswati III and the Eswatini nation at the 2023 Sibaya People’s Parliament.
“It is an honour for me to join you in this significant occasion of the first induction workshop for members of the 12th Parliament of Eswatini. It is indeed fitting that this activity takes place when we are all fresh in Government, full of ideas and a clear mandate from His Majesty from Sibaya. Specifically to Parliamentarians at a courtesy call at Mandvulo Grand Hall, His Majesty was very clear about his expectations from Parliament, Government, and Emaswati in general. It is therefore now upon all of us to put together not only our great ideas, but strategies on how we want to implement them,” said the Prime Minister in his address.
He went on to remind Parliamentarians that they are to be very innovative and vibrant in their thinking, challenging themselves to explore untapped territories and bring workable solutions.
“Our biggest objective should be to address how we cooperate as executive and legislature in order to achieve the common goal of serving our nation. When we understand our roles and perform very well, we will be able to restore people’s trust in our system of governance,” said the Prime Minister.
He also took some time to address issues of peace and security in the country, with reference to a conducive environment for sustainable development.
“Restoration of peace and security, and tolerance for one another, should be at the top of our priorities. The threat to peace and security, the threat to sustainable development that was experienced a few years ago demonstrated the need to change course on approach to engagement to be preventative, rather than reactive,” said the Prime Minister.
“We must do all we can to ensure that the economy of this country never suffers such a downturn as we have seen,” he added..
The PM also spoke on the country’s preparedness for crises.
“We have to work on the country’s preparedness programmes for unprecedented crises like COVID-19 and the impact of ongoing global conflicts. Parliament also has a very crucial role in fighting the escalating cases of Gender-Based Violence. Gender-Based Violence should never be tolerated, which is the reason I also add my voice to condemn this act in the strongest sense,” he said, to much applause from Parliamentarians.
He urged that, as legislators, they must critically scrutinise if the current laws are still serving the nation, and legislate accordingly on areas where there are gaps.
The Parliamentarians will also be inducted in matters of wellness and finance, among others, as they continue the inaugural induction workshop tomorrow.
