King to address spending

2004-03-17 21:40

Lobamba, Swaziland - King Mswati III, who has been criticised for lavish spending, urged parliament Wednesday to come up with "tough policies" to address his tiny southern African nation's ailing economy.

"As a country, we need to revisit our spending pattern if we want to stimulate economic growth and create job opportunities," Mswati said as he opened parliament after several unexplained postponements.

Last week, Africa's last absolute monarch forced the elected speaker of the House of Assembly to resign. No reason was given at the time for Marwick Khumalo's resignation, and Mswati did not mention the issue on Wednesday.

Khumalo, who remains a member of the assembly, has said he was removed because he had opposed government attempts to buy a private jet for the king.

Mswati's spending habits, including new cars and palaces for his 12 brides, have drawn criticism in the drought-stricken country where close to a quarter of the one million people need food aid.

Pro-democracy groups had urged the public to wear black Wednesday as a sign of mourning for the removal of an elected official, but parliamentarians were banned from doing so.

Police were deployed to ensure anyone dressed in black was kept well away from the building.

Mswati faces mounting pressure to bring reform to his tiny, landlocked kingdom.

Swaziland won independence in 1968 from Britain, which left it with a democratic constitution establishing a constitutional monarchy and a bill of rights.

But in 1973, a year after the pro-royalist ruling party won elections, Mswati's father, King Sobuza II, repealed most of the constitution. Mswati, who rules by decree, has appointed a committee to draft a new constitution.

- AP