“Political Parties Cause Divisions”: Exploring Support for Democracy in Swaziland
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
“Political parties cause divisions”: Exploring Support for Democracy in Swaziland Selamile Dlamini Under the direction of: Professor Larry Diamond and Professor Joel Samoff Submitted for Honors Center on Democracy, Development & the Rule of Law May 11th, 2015 Abstract What shapes support for democracy and political participation in Swaziland? Previous research has focused on Swazi traditions, which portray democracy as a challenge to the respected and preferable Swazi way of life. That research, however, is insufficiently attentive to the range of influences on Swazi attitudes about democracy. This thesis addresses those influences, combining a historical overview, an extended analysis of Afrobarometer survey data, and interviews with a purposive sample of the Swazi population, as well as ten key informants. Modernization theory, which points to poverty as a barrier to democracy, is only partially helpful here. Both the in-depth individual interviews that explored political activism and Afrobarometer’s Round 5 survey in Swaziland confirm that education is the most significant determinant of support for democracy. Consistent with findings across Africa, this research found that women support democracy less than men. This observation may be largely a function of access to education, since as women’s education level increases, their support for democracy increases more rapidly than it does among men. At the same time, the in-depth interviews also challenge modernization theory, since they show that the poorest Swazis are the most supportive of democracy, and political parties in particular. Notably, religion, propaganda, and fear are important factors that shape support for democracy in Swaziland. Overall, most striking in this research is the confirmation, in the midst of limited expressed support for democracy, that there are strong roots for democratic support among the citizens of Africa’s last absolute monarchy. i Acknowledgements This has been a labor of love. Many times I have been tempted to stop working only to find more reason to stay. This thesis means something to me, and I am grateful to all who helped in compiling, refining, rethinking, and reworking it. First, I am grateful to the University of Swaziland (UNISWA) library staff for their tremendous help with my research and for generously offering their time and patience. At UNISWA, I am also grateful to the linguists who ensured that my translations were an accurate representation of Siswati. I could not have done this work without my mother, Faith Mkhonta’s support and caution; my brother, Bonganjalo Dlamini’s critiques of democracy; and the friends and colleagues who helped me to refine and edit this work. Thank you to everyone who challenges the merits of democracy, and critically interrogates the way that I see the world. Professor Joel Samoff, thank you for being an advisor and advocate of this thesis two-years ago when it began with questions about the reed dance in Swaziland; your support was critical in formulating and developing this research question. Thank you for being a critical and logical supporter of this work, and an advocate for my academic interest in Swaziland. Professor Larry Diamond, without your support, this thesis would not have been written. Your knowledge and passion are both inspiring, and I hope to one day have the level of commitment to a cause that you do to democracy. Most importantly, your kindness, support and empathy are incredible. Professor Frank Fukuyama, you are one of the most critical and caring scholars I have met, and my thesis is better because of the questions and issues you have raised. Didi Kuo, you’re amazing, thank you for all that you do. Thank you to the Center for Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law for the support, opportunities, and conversations. Thank you to Lauren Weitzman, Alice Carter, and Alice Kada for all your logistical support. Thank you also to the Center for African Studies for being a home to me and others, and a space to navigate and understand our research interests. Thank you to Laura Hubbard for being an advocate and ally for us always. Most of all, thank you to my key informants, the people who volunteered to be mentors - the politicians, activists, scientists, researchers - who sat with me and were willing to give their time and attention to this work. Thank you especially to Banele Dlamini, who went out into the field to ask people to trust him with their stories. I hope that ultimately this thesis matters for Swaziland. At the very least, I hope it acts as a basis for additional work and research to unravel and understand its political landscape. I have not answered every question about democracy, and I did not intend to do so. This means that there is more room for research. Freedom is the ability to ask and answer questions. I hope the privilege of education bestows on us the burden to ask and attempt to answer questions in whatever spaces, places and capacities we occupy. I hope that other researchers can build from this, critique it, refine it, and use it to inform their approach to activism, actions, or other researchable questions. ii Table of Contents Abstract……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….i Acknowledgements……………………………………………………………………………………………..ii Table of Contents………………………………………………………………………………………..............iii Glossary of Terms………………………………………………………………………………………………..v List of Figures…………………………………………………………………………………………….............vi List of Tables……………………………………………………………………………………………………...vii 1. Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………………….3 2. Historical Background ................................................................................................... 11 2.1 Swaziland ................................................................................................................................................ 11 2.2 The current governance system: history and development .............................................. 13 2.2.1 The impact of labor union activism in pre-independent Swaziland .......................... 13 2.2.2 The Tinkhundla system of governance ................................................................................... 15 2.2.3 Tinkhundla: an effort to advance democratic ideals? ........................................................ 17 2.2.4 A democracy without votes ......................................................................................................... 19 2.2.5 Tinkhundla reviews and Constitutional review commission ......................................... 21 2.2.6 Critiques of the vuselas .................................................................................................................. 22 3. Democracy ........................................................................................................................... 25 3.1 Context ..................................................................................................................................................... 25 3.2 Defining democracy ............................................................................................................................ 27 3.3 Why does democracy matter? ........................................................................................................ 30 3.5 Attitudes about democracy in sub-Saharan and Southern Africa ................................... 33 3.6 Attitudes about democracy in Southern Africa ....................................................................... 34 4. Theory ................................................................................................................................... 35 4.1 Modernization Theory ....................................................................................................................... 35 4.1.1 Education and information access ............................................................................................ 37 4.1.2 Wealth ................................................................................................................................................... 38 4.1.3 Religion and democracy ................................................................................................................ 40 4.2 Other significant factors .................................................................................................................... 40 4.2.1 Gender .................................................................................................................................................. 41 4.2.2. Authoritarian regimes and the use of information manipulation ............................... 42 4.2.3 Authoritarian repression .............................................................................................................. 43 5. Methodology ....................................................................................................................... 44 5.1 Qualitative Interview Methodology ............................................................................................. 45 5.1.1 Study Site, Sampling and Respondents ................................................................................... 45 5.1.2. Data Collection Procedures ......................................................................................................... 46 5.1.3 Data Organization and Analysis ................................................................................................. 48 5.1.4 Limitations & Validity Issues ......................................................................................................