MBABANE:Taiwan allegedly assisted King Mswati to escape United States(US) sanctions by lobbying President Donald Trump Republicans political party to oppose the draft Resolution 174 tabled by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee amid concerns suggesting that, the removal of the eSwatini ruling Tinkhundla regime will weaken Taiwan and compromise American interests.
Senator Christopher Andrew Coons, the then Chairperson of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was calling for targeted sanctions against King Mswati and other loyalists of the Tinkhundla undemocratic regime.
This was at the height of the political unrest where dozens of emaSwati were killed merely for demanding democratic reforms in the tiny Kingdom ruled by King Mswati as an absolute Monarch.
The Resolution highly critical of the eSwatini Government, was supported mostly by former Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama’s Democrats political party within the United States ‘Parliament’ but, vigorously opposed by the Republicans.
It has been disclosed that, even though the Democrats being President Joe Biden political party wanted the implementation of targeted sanctions against eSwatini particularly, after the killing of human rights lawyer Thulani Maseko who was a ‘favorite’ of the Americans, the Republicans felt sanctioning the tiny Kingdom will compromise United States interests as eSwatini remains the last “African country with diplomatic relations with the Chinese Province-Taiwan”.
The United States does not formally recognize the Chinese Province as a country but has strategic ‘diplomatic’ partnership with Taiwan to manage and counter China’s growing global political and economic influence.
As a result and subsequent to amendments, the Resolution was eventually passed in its weakest form with the calls for sanctions ‘clauses’ against King Mswati and other loyalists of the Tinkhundla regime removed.
Reached for comments by this publication, Mlungisi Makhanya, the President of eSwatini’s main liberation movement-the People’s United Democratic Movement(PUDEMO) said, the United States does not take a position based on principles and values but, based on American interests.
“Americans always take a position based on their interests and if it happens in the course of life that your interests and their interests converge, they will support you. But you must always know that is it not a support that you can be emotionally be vested in because as soon as your interests and theirs diverge, they will dump you”, said the PUDEMO President.
Makhanya said, emaSwati must remember that, “they are like Palestinians and therefore must fight for their own liberation and the US will support only if, the political interests of emaSwati converge with American interests.
Taiwan Ambassador Jeremy Liang referred comments to the eSwatini Government.
But Acting Government Spokesperson Thabile Mdluli could not be reached for a comment regarding this matter.
Responding to this Swaziland News, King Mswati’s Spokesperson Percy Simelane said, such information suggesting that, Taiwan helped the King or the country to escape United States sanctions might be an attempt to contaminate the strong diplomatic relations between eSwatini and Taiwan that has stood the test of time.
“The challenge is that Eswatini and Taiwan’s bilateral spirit haunts some countries demons”,
But it has been disclosed that, apart from watering down the pursuit for democracy and/or justice within the Southern African tiny Kingdom after the killing of civilians during the political unrest, the “United States under the Donald Trump administration is not prioritizing the Justice for human rights lawyer Thulani Maseko Campaign” and the pursuit for democracy and justice in eSwatini.
Eswatini highly regarded human rights lawyer Sibusiso Nhlabatsi described the latest change in the United States foreign policy, as a tragic development.
“This is a tragic development, not only for the people of eSwatini but for anyone who believes in the universal values of human rights and justice,” he said.
Eswatini is an absolute Monarchy, political parties are banned from participating in elections, while human rights defenders are arrested, tortured or even killed for demanding democracy.
King Mswati.