Crisis of democracy in Africa

The African Blog laments about the continued failure of the democratic process and elections in Africa:

‘We have seen elections in Zimbabwe and Kenya that have produced no winner or loser, giving these two terms their literal meaning. Laurent Gbagbo is currently trying his luck in Cote d’Ivoire, and why not?

‘Now it would appear Africans, especially those in the aforementioned countries are fed-up with electoral democracy in Africa where people’s role is only to put leaders into power then the electorate must leave at the mercy of governments’ decisions and policies that hardly take people needs into account. People are quickly realising that they are not only there to vote leaders into power; the people are also there to ensure that elected officials do not abuse their position but act according to stipulations of their office and heed to the wishes of the electorate. Unleashing trigger-happy police on innocent protesters in order to call them rioters cannot mask the undemocratic nature of the majority of the African leaders.

‘The protesters are doing exactly what democracy is all about: government of the people, for the people and by the people. That is how democracy must be measured if there was ever a yardstick at all.’

Muigwithania argues that the West and their African surrogates are going against the wishes of Ivorian people by insisting that Laurent Gbagbo vacate the presidency:

‘The situation in Ivory Coast demands our immediate attention as representatives of the African world. The time has long come for us to speak out against the machinations of the French and American governments in the affairs of the African continent. Clearly the interests of the French and the Americans are not the interests of the people of Ivory Coast and all claims of moral uprightness made by Western interests must be questioned. We realize that their interests, if history is our guide, are for material advantage, minerals, political puppets, and strategic positions for global control.

‘WHY there are so many Europeans and Americans vying for the right to “promote” democracy in Ivory Coast and not in Somalia, Egypt, Gaza or Western Sahara? Our position has always been critical against all actions, proposals, and attitudes that go against the masses of African people, whether they come from the United Nations, ECOWAS, or the French government. The lessons of our African history are quite clear and we seem to have not yet digested them drawing from the actions of the AU and ECOWAS today. The numerous ways the West subverted democratically elected governments around the world should be a lesson that indeed they really do not care about democracy(look at Gaza) .On that note it is only fair to conclude and emphasize that President Gbagbo will not step aside because he is the certified winner of the presidential election. The actions of ECOWAS, the UN and others are actually subverting the true will of the Ivorian people.”

Texas in Africa worries about potential conflict in an independent Southern Sudan:

‘While John Prendergast, George Clooney, and other advocates who don't speak a word of Arabic have been raising fears about violence for months, the likelihood that a genocide or war will break out immediately seems to me to be slim to none. As Stephen Chan notes in a discussion hosted by the Royal African Society, there are too many incentives for both sides to behave themselves - the oil needs to keep flowing for both sides to benefit, and the US and China aren't likely to put up with any shenanigans. Also, al-Bashir seems to be willing to let the secession happen, despite pointing out to al-Jazeera that the South is going to be a bit of a mess in its initial independence period.

‘As Rob Crilly points out, al-Bashir is right. My real worry for this situation is not that war will break out between north and south - even over Abyei, which I think will eventually be allowed to vote on its own status - but rather than tensions within the South will be played out in the context of an extremely fragile state. Southern Sudan will immediately become one of the world's poorest, weakest states - albeit one with oil - with a plethora of ethnic groups who don't see eye-to-eye on everything. That's rarely a recipe for stability. Add to that the resentment that may build up over the SPLM's domination of politics within the South and there could be real problems.

‘Then again, the South's many groups have had several years to learn to work together, and everyone has known what was coming for some time.’

The Mirror explains how ongoing protests in Tunisia reflect a paradigm shift for Tunisians who previously believed that repression was the price to pay for stability and economic growth:

‘It almost invariably breaks down like this: you want people to be happy, bring them prosperity. You want prosperity, you need security. And security needs a strong man with a firm hand on power. Democracy? That won’t work –we’re not mature enough.

‘Those arguments are difficult to disprove in the Arab context. With a Per Capita Gross Domestic Product way ahead of neighboring countries, the Tunisian regime presents itself as a success story and is making the case for democracy in the Middle East and North Africa a difficult idea to sell. As a consequence, Tunisia often serves as a model for other regimes in the region, who use the perceived success of Ben Ali as a pretext to further consolidate their grip on power....

‘Public demonstrations are unheard of in Tunisia unless they are organized by the ruling party itself. So much so that when the first images of protests filtered through the heavy wall of internet censorship, the world knew something potentially serious was underway…

‘The question in the mind of every observer is whether the protests will gather strength enough to lead to a regime change. Whilst I personally doubt this will happen due to the lack of sustainability and organisation of the movement, I believe the Sidi Bouzid uprising has already achieved something tremendous: a mental paradigm shift. No longer will anyone, neither the regimes nor their apologists, claim that repression and authoritarianism can bring prosperity and happiness.’

My Heart’s in Accra also writes about the protests in Tunisia and wonders why the media in the US has largely ignored these protests:

‘If you’re in the US, there’s a good chance you haven’t heard what’s going on in Tunisia unless you follow news from North Africa and the Middle East closely. The story of the ongoing protests has received very little media attention...

‘One explanation is that the tragic shooting in Tucson has (understandably) captured the US’s attention at present and that the Christmas and New Years’ holidays prevented the early chapters of the story from gaining attention...

‘What’s fascinating to me is that the events of the past three weeks in Tunisia might actually represent a “Twitter revolution”, as has been previously promised in Moldova and in Iran. There’s been virtually no coverage of the riots and protests in the thoroughly compromised local media – to understand what’s going on in their country, many Tunisians are turning to YouTube and DailyMotion videos, to blogs, Twitter and especially Facebook…

‘So why isn’t the global twittersphere flooding the internet with cries of “Yezzi Fock!” (The rallying cry of the movement, which translates as “We’ve had enough!” in local slang)? Perhaps we’re less interested because the government in danger of falling isn’t communist, as in Moldova, or a nuclear-armed member of the Axis of Evil, Iran?...

‘I don’t know whether most people are missing the events in Tunisia because they don’t speak French or Arabic, because they don’t see the Mahgreb as significant as Iran, because they’re tired of social media revolution stories or because they’re mourning the tragedy in Tucson. I’m disappointed and frustrated, not just because I care deeply for Tunisian friends who have been working for justice in their country for years, but because real change in the world is a rare thing, and it’s a shame that people would miss the chance to watch it unfold.’

The Chia Report: Julius Fondong, a former UN Civil Affairs Officer in Haiti and The Chia Report, contributor writes about the Haiti that the media never tells us about:

‘Haiti has a major private airline company that operates 28 flights to 8 different destinations on a daily basis. I don’t know of any private indigenous company in Sub Saharan Africa with such a track record.

‘All major Haitian banks have well developed internet banking systems, unlike a country like Cameroon where none of its indigenous banks offers online banking services. Internet access in Haiti is easier and cheaper than in a country like South Africa...

‘In matters of individual and civil liberties and press freedom, Haiti is far advanced than most developing countries I know of. There are more than 500 private radio stations in Haiti. Spread nationwide, the bulk of them are in Port au Prince and some regional metropolis. All of Haiti’s 140 communes boast of an average 2 radio stations and at least one TV station, all of which are managing to stay on the air in spite of irregular electricity supply.

‘This is a mammoth achievement as compared to a country like Cameroon which accounts for less than a handful of licensed radio stations and over a dozen community radio stations that owe their existence to the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and local councils, which are exempted from licenses and have pledged to air no political content. In Haiti, press censorship is virtually unknown, unlike in most France-Afrique countries where administrative censorship is still common place...

‘I know it’s difficult to think differently of yourself when everyday you’re being told or being reminded of how poor and miserable and pitiful you are. It literally dissipates your sense of pride and self-worth. So you start being apologetic about your circumstances. This is the kind of stigma most Haitian youths have had to deal with all their lives. Poverty is a social condition, no doubt, but it can also be a state of mind. In Haiti it’s both a social condition and a state of mind.’

BROUGHT TO YOU BY PAMBAZUKA NEWS

* Dibussi Tande blogs at Scribbles from the Den.
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