Lobamba: Seasoned politician and Lobamba Lomdzala Member of Parliament, Marwick Khumalo, shot back at bribery allegations made by Former Deputy President in the House of Assembly, Mpendulo Ngomuyayona Gamedze against the MPs, saying they were unfounded and wild.
The Lobamba Lomdzala MP sated that the least that Gamedze could do was to take the matter up with the police, with the names of the MPs in question, instead of going public. He said Gamedze made a sweeping statement which has offended those he has worked with and held him in high esteem, and it should not be a wonder that following such assertions all confidence has been lost. He said he should not be misconstrued to be saying the former deputy speaker’s allegations were untrue but going public meant he needed to clearly spell out what happened including issuing out the names of the MPs concerned.
Money is always a part of elections processes – Marwick
Marwick made mention that history has proven that the election processes world-over were not possible without money, regardless of the system of governance. He said in the case of the senate in Eswatini what would be wrong would be if an MP reached out to a candidate and sold his vote. “Otherwise, there is nothing wrong with taking money from a senate hopeful if he gave it, and yet, as an MP, I should vote from my conscience and not the money,” stated Khumalo. Khumalo further stated that elections that have led some of the biggest democracies in the world, like the USA’s have evolved around money, and that Eswatini cannot be different. He was quick to say he should not be misunderstood to be saying bribes in Parliament in Eswatini are rife.
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