BY SIFISO NHLABATSI
MBABANE – Prime Minister Russell Mmiso Dlamini has dismissed speculation surrounding his recent trip to Geneva, Switzerland, saying there was nothing unusual or sinister about the visit and urging Members of Parliament (MPs) to verify facts before discussing rumours in public.
The Prime Minister made the clarification in Parliament on Thursday after MPs raised questions about his attendance at the United Nations Global Dialogue on Artificial Intelligence Governance in Geneva and the absence of Minister of Information, Communications and Technology (ICT) Savannah Maziya from the delegation.
Dlamini said the invitation to the international event had been extended to His Majesty King Mswati III, not to him personally.
“My trip to Geneva was not my invitation. The Head of State was the one who was invited,” he said.
He explained that when His Majesty receives an invitation to an international event, it is the King’s prerogative to determine who will represent the country.
“When the Head of State (His Majesty King Mswati III), has been invited, he is the one who decides who is going to represent him at that particular event. To show respect to those who extended the invitation, it is often appropriate to send the Head of Government, depending on the magnitude of the event,” he said.
The Prime Minister added that for major international engagements where the King is unable to attend, it is customary for the Prime Minister, rather than a line minister, to represent the country.
Addressing speculation over Minister Maziya’s absence, Dlamini rejected suggestions of a fallout between the two.
He said discussions at the Geneva meeting focused heavily on artificial intelligence, a highly technical subject that required specialist support.
“I saw that they were speaking about issues of artificial intelligence, which are more technical. I then decided to call the Principal Secretary to join me with technocrats and brief me,” he said.
According to the Prime Minister, after receiving technical briefings, he decided to travel with the ICT Principal Secretary to ensure expert support during the engagements.
“They briefed me and I then decided to take the Principal Secretary with me so that if there were questions or I needed to make changes, the Principal Secretary would assist,” he explained.
Dlamini stressed that there was nothing unusual about the arrangement and dismissed reports suggesting the ICT minister had deliberately been excluded from the delegation.
He also criticised what he described as the growing tendency by some MPs to entertain unverified allegations about government leaders.
“There is an issue with MPs entertaining unverified rumours about the Minister of ICT. They should ensure they get their facts right before speaking about such rumours on public platforms,” he said.
Prime Minister further appealed to legislators to engage him directly whenever they have concerns involving his office instead of relying on speculation.
He noted that many MPs have no difficulty contacting him when seeking assistance but often fail to do so when questions arise about government decisions.
“It would help if, when you have queries about something you heard concerning the Prime Minister that does not sit well with you, you call me or send me a WhatsApp message. You will get the facts,” he said.
#ParliamentEswatini #RussellMmisoDlamini #GenevaTrip #AIGovernance #Eswatini #ICT #SavannahMaziya #GovernmentClarification #KingMswatiIII #UNDialogue #DigitalTransformation #Governance #Politics
