Caught between Scylla and Charybdis: Participate or Boycott Swaziland Elections
SWAZI IDENTITY Scylla and Charybdis were mythical sea monsters. Later Greek tradition sited them on opposite sides of the Strait of Messina between Sicily and the Italian mainland. Scylla was rationalized as a rock shoal (described as a six-headed sea monster) on the Italian side of the strait and Charybdis was a whirlpool off the coast of Sicily. They were regarded as a sea hazard located close enough to each other that they posed an inescapable threat to passing sailors; avoiding Charybdis meant passing too close to Scylla and vice versa. This is a perfect metaphor for the people of Swaziland whether to participate or boycott in the impending Elections. The two have their now implications that might or not deliver an open monarchail society from the Tinkhundla authoritarian system. Whilst the argument pro-boycotting is prominent, this writer notes it as participation. The paper seeks to unveil boycotting and voting implications for the Swazis. Boycotting in it...