Relationship Goals

In my conclusion of last week’s article which focused on International Women’s Day, I asked what there is to celebrate for elderly women on this day if they are still expected to live on a monthly grant equaling the price of a case of 24 beers.  

I also asked if and why tax paying Swazis are even okay with the paltry grants given to the elderly and disabled.

Coincidentally the minister of finance, Martin Dlamini addressed the issue of the elderly in parliament earlier this week, albeit with no good news at all. 

The minister told parliament on Tuesday that there is no way in the near future that the E265.00 grant for the elderly would be increased to keep up with inflation (although keeping up with the living standard of first world countries where we’re headed would be more ideal really).

In the same sitting, the minister confirmed to parliament that government is looking to spend 50million bucks during the August 2016 summit of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). It is even rumored that some top of the range cars will be bought to service this two day summit.

Government’s relationship goals are pretty clear, aren’t they?  A quick glance of the above info tells you that the relationship that exists between the government of Swaziland and Southern African states is more important than the social contract that our government has with us as citizens. How can this be a healthy picture? 

Swaziland Minister of Finance Martin Dlamini: He announced a zero increase in pension grants for the elderly in the foreseeable future while on the other hand, he announced a significant budget allocation of E50million towards an August 2016 regional summit; including the cost of buying brand new cars for transporting member heads of states.

Being a journalist with broadcast journalism training and experience, I tend to read and digest information with a broadcast journalist’s brain and intent.  

For me the intent is to share any new piece of information with someone least likely to take the initiative to source information or someone who lacks the means to access information. 

For example, this could be my (unschooled) grandmother or neighbor who has never seen the shape and colour of a teacher’s chalk. After all, I’m a firm believer that what you know means nothing if you do not share it.

I get news from the online versions of Swaziland’s two national newspapers, and on Wednesday when I read the story under the headline “Elderly Grants Shocker” and the one below it headlined “Govt. sets aside E50 million for SADC Summit”, 

I imagined how painful it would be if I attempted to narrate the two news stories to an eager to know elder or my visually impaired friends.

Just imagine that – narrating the above cited stories. “Well Gogo, the first story is about your welfare – the minister doesn’t know if and when you will ever get an increased monthly grant because there is no policy that allows him to increase it.” 

And then “Gogo in the second story the minister says there’s 50 million emalangeni that will be spent in two days on the heads of states that will be coming to the country in August.”

Most Gogos have lived long and hard lives and are ready to meet with their ancestors any day so they don’t hold back on the questions; 

“He’s a minister, if he can’t make the law or tell the relevant people to make this law then who will?”… 

“So there’s a law for this summit of outsiders but not for our welfare?”…”Even these MPs, how could they not have known till today that there’s no policy to address our grant issues?”…

When I read reports like this I can’t help but wonder what kind of personal relationship our leaders have with their elderly relatives rally. 

I also wonder if they’ve always lived in the cities and have not explored poverty-stricken rural Swaziland and even the city dwellings where urban poverty is rife. 

It’s a question I’d ask of each of us as citizens; what are our personal relationship goals towards each other as fellow citizens?

It also makes me question the sincerity with which the National Development Strategy (NDS): Towards Vision 2022 was crafted all those years ago in 1997, in which it is stated that the government will review its ‘public assistance policy with the aim of making the amount given to the elderly more realistic with the cost of living; develop a policy to address the criteria used to identify destitute and elderly people; and taxation incentives should be introduced to encourage individuals to care for the elderly.’

Similar pronouncements are made in the same document about other vulnerable groups of our population like people living with disabilities where government commits to considering enacting varied forms of legislation ‘…to ensure equal opportunities for persons with disabilities’ and ‘…to protect the disadvantaged groups from abuse and discrimination’.

Government started rolling out the NDS Vision 2022 in 1999 and when I sense indifference in the minister of finance’s response to issues of the elderly, I’m quick to wonder if government crafts such strategies to improve its relationship with the citizens of this country or merely to just tick off a checklist that is expected by some invisible big brother somewhere.

But then again, if we citizens do not read and familiarize ourselves with these documents and forget our sense of responsibility to each other, then government will always get away with not fulfilling the promises it makes through such strategies as the NDS.