Too many bad African examples
April 22nd, 2008 | EthioPolitics.com |The Standard
Kenya, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe - Africa
Even with the grand coalition Cabinet in office here in Kenya, we will not be the same again. Suspicion still abounds, as do counsels of despair in the prospects of African democracy. Travel through the country and you will sense something tangible of disunity and division, hostility and distrust. You will sense antipathy and you still feel the hatred. And you may see something else. Something gradual, almost as unnoticeable as the river erosion that wears down a fluvial rock. The transformation of Kenya from one nation with various sub-groups into several nations.
Why did we reach this state? Where did the rain start beating us?
In Tolstoy’s War and Peace, one of the most poignant moments occurs when the Russian generals discuss the evacuation of Moscow in the face of Napoleon’s brutal onslaught. General Kutuzov and his fellow generals are hankered around a table studying a map of the military positions of the contending armies, when one of them asks: “When did it become necessary that we must abandon Moscow?”
Kenya having abandoned its democratic highroad and pedigree of peace, love and unity, we can likewise ask, “When did it become necessary that we must go through the scandal of our post-electoral crisis?”
It behoves us all to make the effort to understand what went wrong in our country, because only through an accurate diagnosis of the causes of our condition can we come to a proper prognosis on how to heal our country.
One temptation is to blame our African heritage for our disgrace. Indeed, we have tolerated electoral fraud in neighbouring African states, failing to recognise our own vulnerability. The best democracy in Africa is one-party-dominant democracy. Either you get monarchic democracy, like in Uganda, Zimbabwe and Ethiopia, or dynastic democracy, like in Nigeria, Tanzania and Botswana.
Ethiopia has a parliamentary government. During its general elections on 15th May 2005, Prime Minister Meles Zenawi promised a free and fair exercise. Voter turnout was substantially high, and as the results started flowing in, the opposition took a big lead sweeping all the contested seats in the capital Addis. By the afternoon of May 16th, the opposition reported that it was halfway towards winning a majority in the national parliament.
Then the electoral chicanery began. While the preliminary results showed the ruling party trailing badly, the government announced that it had won almost sixty percent of all the seats. The opposition protested, alleging massive rigging. Prime Minister Zenawi immediately declared a state of emergency, outlawed all public gatherings, and got the electoral tallying process halted. The leaders of the opposition were put under house arrest as the government consolidated its position.
The Ethiopian experience is the standard experience in much of Africa. In May 2004 in Malawi, October 2005 in Zanzibar, February 2006 in Uganda, September 2006 in Zambia and April 2007 in Nigeria, similar experiences have occurred. Finally, this month in Zimbabwe we have observed another instalment of the nauseous contempt African leaders and their dominant parties have for democracy.
Our general lack of concern with these experiences of our African neighbours has created a vicious cycle of contempt for democracy.
Joseph Tanonoka, a journalist writing from Southern Africa, comments about the Zimbabwe elections: “It’s Kenya all over again because of wrong priorities, because of African leaders’ reluctance to urge losing presidential candidates to vacate their posts, because of… malicious detachment and indifference to the suffering of the people.”
Swapan Dasgupta writing from India comments that Africa can no longer blame its colonial legacy for the ills of bad governance afflicting it. A similar legacy of colonialism in Asia was shrugged off, leading to various economic powerhouses and responsible democracies. Even countries afflicted by civil strife like Sri Lanka have finally grown up and matured into democratic states.
Dasgupta regrets “the unending spate of bad news from Africa” that has overshadowed successes in much of the rest of the world. The tragedy of Africa is that the leaders squandered the considerable goodwill among their own peoples instead of building and strengthening their democratic institutions.
According to Dasgupta, the personality cults of African leaders have proved to be a veneer for naked self-aggrandizement that has turned Africa into a continent of rich politicians and impoverished people.
The current situation in Kenya, and indeed in much of Africa, is self-inflicted. Bad leadership is behind most of our woes. To fight manipulated democracy and get good leaders, Africans must come together in solidarity to support electoral processes throughout the continent.
16 Responses to “Too many bad African examples”
By Ababa on Apr 23, 2008 | Reply
This is very insightful article, but how do we get out of these chronic disease of dictatorial leaders and governenece?
By Medeksaa on Apr 23, 2008 | Reply
Speaking of Democracy and Majority rule….,
We Oromos still forced to speak nefetegna Amaras minority language within our own territory and land,Is`t that what you call cultural domination and cultural supression ??
“Ethiopias national language should immediatelly be changed from Amaras minority (Amharic) to Ethiopias Majority (Afaan Oromoffiaa).”
By Gambella on Apr 23, 2008 | Reply
Mr. Medeksa,
Do you think the Amaras accept Democracy and obey majority rule, and hold referendum on the language issue ?
Because the Amaras will be doomed if they accept the principle of majority rule,becauase the amaras will lose their domination over oromos culture,oromos language and oromos people, therefor amaras will not accept democratic process ballot of referendum,even though amaras constitute minority.
By Medeksaa-Is-woyane-not-aromo on Apr 23, 2008 | Reply
your divide and rule thinking will not work here. everyone mideksa is a woyane acting as ormo
By Ototo Gormolo on Apr 23, 2008 | Reply
What’s this Mideksa guy talking about? Hey man! you are obssessed with the Oromo language and ethnicity. That’s not the issue at hand. By the way, who is not Oromo these days in Ethiopia. The vast majority of Ethiopians have Oromo blood one way or another. But the misery of Oromos can only be done with through genuine democratiztion of our country and not by installing one Oromo guy as prime minister or president. If that was the case, all the problems of Oromos would have been thrashed out after Lt. Girma W.Giorgis had assumed the presidency, albeit that he is only a vegetable and a figure head at that. So brother Mideksa, try to see the larger picture of liberating mother Ethiopia from the monstrous Jaws of Woyane. There and then will the problems of the entire people of our country be solved once and for all.
But regarding the bad guys of Africa, the people of this continent should wage an unreleting war to rid themselves of tyrany with all the resolve and tenacity that they have used when they fought their colonial masters. The present despots are more vicious, corrupt, divisive and not least, ethnocentered than the colonialists. They have impoverished their countries and peoples to just amass and stash in foreign banks large sums of money hard earned from the sales of migre exportables or obtained from western donors who care very little about how their tax payers money is used. So in order to rid out these dictators and establish democracy in Africa lastingly, the peoples of Africa, the U.N. and western governments should act in a concerted manner to ensure that elections in each and every African country are conducted in a fair and just way and see to it that the tenure of elected leaders is limited and be incorporated in the constitutions of the respective countries. They should also make sure that dictators are no longer allowed to use sovereignty as a defence to supress their peoples as they will and any transgression against the peoples rights should be punishable by international law.
God bless Ethiopia and damn Woyane.
OG.
By Windsorite on Apr 23, 2008 | Reply
Very provocative but within democratic boundary interesting demand. Who will lose from changing the official language to oromogina, who will gain from it ?
Can we have selective democracy in Ethiopia, by avoiding certain demand since it opposes our tribal interest ? If that is the case what kind of democracy is this,what should we call it ? hybride subdemocracy or …..something else ?
By JzB on Apr 23, 2008 | Reply
Mr. Ototo gormolo,
Well if you think most Ethiopians are connectcted to Oromoigna language, then you are proving MEDEKSA`s point as legit one, then let us declare Ethiopias official language to afan oromogigna.
By Anonymous on Apr 23, 2008 | Reply
wonderful article
By happy man on Apr 24, 2008 | Reply
I am happy that eneryone knows gambella and mideksa they are not from oromo people gen betam kile(foolish)hodam and lej new.
very nice article.
By Wabiyatu Gidaraa on Apr 24, 2008 | Reply
Quote from OLF leader,
“AMARAS WERE ETHIOPIAS MISFORTUNE.”
By ObserVer on Apr 24, 2008 | Reply
GAMBELA,
The amaras have no chice but to obey to oromos majority demand, since amaras constitute only Minority. The democratic anchor question should rest not minority(amaras) but majority (oromos). Remember, In democracy it is the majority who count the most not minority.
By the way Mr. Gambela, let me ask you this, WHO DO YOU THINK THE PEOPLE of GAMBELA WILL VOTE FOR, THE AMARAS MINORITY LANGUAGE(AMARIC)OR MAJORITY LANGUAGE (oromigna) ??????????
By Falmataa Oromiyaa on Apr 25, 2008 | Reply
The main trouble with African leaders is that they all are still in the hands of the colonialists (they are simple tools of the colonialists).
Unless the majority of African population is educated (education, which is also hinderded by the puppets of the colonialists), Africans shalln’t be free from the colonialists indirect rule.
By wayeel on Apr 26, 2008 | Reply
Dear Sir,
Not only these men are bad examples; they are rather good examples of notorious dictators–awful names! Traitors!
By Gaaddese on Apr 26, 2008 | Reply
The legacy of the Amara dominated governments,
The Amara dominated governments of Ethiopia for the last 100 years done nothing positive to Ethioia, but brought mass starvation,war,poverity,tribalism,educational discrimination and endless misery to ethiopians.
By Gaaddese on Apr 26, 2008 | Reply
Falmataa oromiya,
What are you talking about ? Ethiopias never was colonized, thus Ethiopia do not suffer from mental slavery as most colonized African countries,middle eastern countries,Asian countries and far east asian countries do.
In the mean time, it is also true that Africa is under hidden attack from the WEST indirectelly to exploite its rich natural resources, just like middle east countries were.
By ElonnatlatVaf on May 8, 2008 | Reply
i am gonna show this to my friend, bro