Swaziland is now a police state, according to the Justice
and Peace Commission of the Catholic Church in the kingdom.
This follows the raid by 60 armed police on Saturday (16 February 2013) to break up a prayer meeting held by democracy supporters. The police had no warrant or court order and acted against the Swazi Constitution.
Christians condemned the police action which took place at the Our Lady of Assumption Catholic cathedral in Manzini.
This follows the raid by 60 armed police on Saturday (16 February 2013) to break up a prayer meeting held by democracy supporters. The police had no warrant or court order and acted against the Swazi Constitution.
Christians condemned the police action which took place at the Our Lady of Assumption Catholic cathedral in Manzini.
The Justice and Peace Commission (JPC) in a statement
said the raid broke Chapter 111 S
23 (2) of the constitution that reads:
‘Except with the free consent of that person, a person
shall not be hindered in the enjoyment of the freedom of conscience, and for
the purposes of this section freedom of conscience includes freedom of thought
and of religion or belief, and freedom of worship either alone or in community
with others.’
The JPC said, ‘Here are peace loving people wanting to
pray for their country and the prayer is thwarted by members of the Royal
Swaziland Police.’
The JPC said it could not be denied that Swaziland was
now a police state.
The trouble started on Saturday after police broke up the
prayer meeting organised by the Swaziland United Democratic Front (SUDF) and the
Swaziland Democracy Campaign (SDC). The prayers were to be held to support a
campaign to show that national elections due in Swaziland this year were
undemocratic.
Swaziland is ruled by King Mswati III, sub-Saharan Africa’s
last absolute monarch. The people are only allowed to select 55 members of the
House of Assembly and no members of the Senate. Political parties are banned
and the King choses the Prime Minister and senior government ministers.
In Swaziland, King Mswati lives in opulence with 13
palaces, fleets of Mercedes and BMW cars and a private luxury jet. His 1
million subjects, meanwhile, live in abject poverty. Seven in 10 earn less than
US$2 a day.
The JPC said, ‘Excessive economic and social disparity
between individuals and peoples of the one human race is a source of scandal
and militates against social justice, equity, human dignity as well as social
and international peace.’
South African Council of Churches in a statement said, ‘No
one must be fooled to think that the God of the People of Swaziland is deaf and
dumb to their daily cry for bread, salt, sugar and water. They too wish to come
out of poverty and enjoy the freedom that they work hard and struggle for.
‘We call upon those in authority to read the signs of time and begin to act in a direction popular to God’s way and the demands of the suffering people.’
‘We call upon those in authority to read the signs of time and begin to act in a direction popular to God’s way and the demands of the suffering people.’
The Manzini Cathedral Parish Administrator Father Pius
Magagula called the police raid a ‘barbaric act was carried out before our
esteemed visitor from South Africa Methodist Church Bishop Paul Verryn’. He
said it was ‘shameful for the church’.
The Swazi Observer
newspaper quoted him saying, ‘In the entire world over, the Roman Catholic
church has always been a safe haven for any person in need of shelter or safe
keeping. It is only in this country that the Church is not accorded the respect
it has always enjoyed.’
See also
RAID ON PRAYERS UNCONSTITUTIONAL
POLICE SAY PRAYERS WERE POLITICAL
http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2013/02/police-say-prayers-were-political_823.html
No comments:
Post a Comment