May23 Sd2006

Royalty attempts a defense of the undemocratic tinkhundla system
(May 20th link below)

Prince David, selected by his brother king Mswati III, tries to defend Swaziland's
elitist government while ignoring simple facts:

The king spends lavishly and members of the royal family lap up the gravy while two thirds of the population live on less than US $1 per day.

Lovely palaces are built for Mswati and his numerous wives but the kingdom's unemployment is about 69%.

UNICEF estimates 70 - 80,000 orphans in Mswati's kingdom and a quarter of "his subjects" require food aid.

David attempts to justify a horridly corrupted form of governance where avaricious royal rights supersede basic human rights. The prince would have us believe that this culture of poverty and oppression is acceptable!

In solidarity with the people of Swaziland, write, fax or e-mail Allan Rock, our Ambassador to the UN. Ask where Canada and the UN stand on the question of Swaziland. Additionally, as Mswati III is scheduled to visit the UN on June 1st, encourage the ambassador to have a frank discussion with the king. It is essential that Canada engages in dialogue to promote human rights, democracy and the rule of law.


Ambassador to the UN

Ambassador Allan Rock
Permanent Mission of Canada to the United Nations
One Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza
885 Second Avenue, 14th Floor
New York, NY 10017
USA

Fax: 1-212-848-1195

e-mail: prmny@international.gc.ca
(If you can, send e-mail daily until you receive a reply.)

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Prince David defends the undemocratic Tinkhundla system

http://swazilandsolidaritynetworkcanada.wikispaces.com/Prince+David+defends+the+undemocratic+Tinkhundla+system?token=4558ef78e23c695a919ee7b69eb9fc1f


For current news from Swaziland see http://swazilandsolidaritynetworkcanada.wikispaces.com


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