CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR MESSAGE 2018

 

BY THE RT HONOURABLE PRIME MINISTER,

MR AMBROSE MANDVULO DLAMINI

 

Friday 21 December 2018

 

 

Siyanivusela nine bekunene.

Christmas is now upon us and very soon we will be ushering-in a new year, 2019. This is a time to give thanks and pray for blessings of the year and season, an opportunity to look into the future with hope and optimism for a brighter future. 

It is also a period of significance when all Emaswati are gathered in unity and peace to celebrate our heritage and culture, and pray for blessings of the season and new year through our renowned and sacred Incwala ceremony. I take this opportunity to welcome all visitors from across our borders who have chosen to spend their festive season in our beautiful Kingdom and join in our sacrosanct cultural festivities.

On behalf of His Majesty’s Government let me thank all Emaswati for your continued love, commitment and support to the activities that define us as a Nation and continue making us a remarkably unique and peaceful Nation.

This I mention being cognisant of the various challenges we are faced with which emanate mainly from the worrisome economic downturn. Several efforts have been outlined and announced to the Nation towards addressing the situation in the short term. However, more can still be achieved if we work hard as a united force, share ideas and strategies to turn the tide. In unity we can go so much further.

Christmas and the start of a new year is always a time of reflection and contemplation, a time to celebrate with loved ones and share pleasantries and gifts. It is also a time to share with the less privileged in our communities, the sick and the needy, to lend a helping hand and give hope to humanity in honour of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ whose birth is the greatest gift God has shared with the World.

And most importantly, the new year presents a golden opportunity for all of us to shed-off bad habits and routines that have held us back over the year in all spheres of life and adopt new strategies towards a brighter and prosperous future.

As we look back at the year, we can count our blessings and similarly identify and confront the challenges that have emerged and need our undivided attention with haste.

The year 2018 has once again demonstrated the resolve and resilience of all Emaswati to jealously preserve our peace and stability despite nagging challenges. It has been a year marked by a successful transition of Government Administration following a peaceful and well organized elections in which Emaswati participated with enthusiasm in their thousands.

As a new Administration, we have been encouraged and honoured by the well wishes, warmth and cordial messages we have received from the entire Nation over the past two months. We are conscious of the high expectations and hopes of all Emaswati about this tenure of public service and the tough sacrifices we have to make to revive an ailing economy.

We have come in at a time when our economy needs a jolt to address the evident hardships synonymous with a weak economy. While the challenge appears daunting, we have no better opportunity than now to turn things around through a properly planned and well coordinated strategy and roadmap.

We have a task to ensure that the year 2019 provides the foundation for a strong, buoyant and sustainable economy with an emphasis on fiscal discipline, revenue growth, job creation and private sector advancement, among others.

Cabinet is currently putting together a roadmap that will serve as a guide to the direction we will follow to speed up economic recovery. As the new year begins, we will share this strategy with the Nation after it has undergone all the necessary fine-tuning and approval processes.

Cabinet has already implemented interim fiscal prudence measures to control expenditure and re-direct our resources to meet Government’s obligations in a systematic and coordinated manner, putting at the forefront the Nations’ priorities for robust economic growth. These and all other fiscal prudence measures that will be implemented cannot succeed without the full backing and support of the Nation. We all have a role to play in the process of getting our economy back on track, thus uplifting the standard of living for all Emaswati.

To this end, I want to reiterate our commitment to uprooting corruption in all its forms across all sectors of public and private enterprise as it has the potential to derail our speed of economic renewal. It rests upon all of us to rid Eswatini of this scourge and channel our resources towards services of social and economic upliftment.

As we celebrate Christmas and the start of a new year, let us do so responsibly. Let us protect one another and co-operate with our Police whose mandate is to ensure our safety and security. We are called upon to refrain from engaging in any illegal or illicit practices under the guise of merriment, renounce violence in all its forms, stay away from drunken driving and obey all rules of the road to eliminate road accidents which often lead to fatalities. All families deserve to spend these holidays with their loved ones and not one life should be lost due to irresponsible behavior on our roads, communities and homes.

To all officers and staff working for essential services whose calling will not allow them to be with their families during this time, may I express my gratitude for your sacrifice and dedication.  On behalf of His Majesty’s Government, I take this opportunity to wish His Majesty the King and iNgwenyama, Her Majesty iNdlovukazi Mhlekazi and the entire Eswatini Nation a merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous New Year. 

Thank you.