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In this article, Chuks Oluigbo argues that what future rule democracy and good governance will play in Africa will depend on what the present crop of African leaders make of the present democratic experiment.
THE FUTURE OF DEMOCRACY AND GOOD GOVERNANCE IN AFRICA
By Chuks Oluigbo
The dual concepts of democracy and good governance have long eluded the African continent. More than four decades after the attainment of independence many an African nation still grapples with the age-long dream of establishing an enduring democracy on the African soil. Aside of very few countries in Africa where democracy and good governance seem to have taken root, however shallow, that dream remains a pipe one for many. One of the greatest problems militating against the realisation of this dream of a democratic Africa has been the tendency among leaders of African nations to pay lip service to the ideals of democracy while at the same time formulating policies and perpetrating actions that are antithetical to democracy, thereby bringing about the negation of democratic values and flagrant abuse of democratic principles. In the past, and even in the present time, different military dictators in many African states, while violating the principles of human rights and perpetrating actions that are tantamount to a rape of democracy, have often assured the world that they were(are) trying to establish an enduring democracy in Africa.
The journey towards democracy and good governance in Africa may have begun with the struggle for political independence and self-government by the African nationalists. When this struggle started, hopes of a better future for Africa were indeed high. And the few educated Africans of the period, the likes of, Casely-Hayford, H. O. Davies, and Herbert Macauley, and later Julius Nyerere, Nnamdi Azikiwe, Obafemi Awolowo, and a host of others, did not hesitate to stake their heads and swim against the tides of European imperialism in order to secure for the African continent a future where the principles of equality, fairness, freedom, peace, unity, and justice for all shall reign supreme. So sure were they of victory and the attendant bountiful blessings that many of them sacrificed their lives. So convinced were they that the state of affairs at the time was only but temporary, and they marched on, undeterred by the innumerable obstacles, until they beheld freedom like a font calling to burst forth. And from the 1950s onwards, African nations began to free themselves from the shackles of imperialism, many at the cost of thousands of lives, others less so, though none on a platter of gold, ending with Eritrea on May 24, 1993.
However, like in all such struggles, the real warriors hardly ever get the booty. Not long after independence, those who really fought for it were sidelined and those who hardly knew the true ideals of the struggle became captains. This was due largely to the fact that the leaders of the young African nations were ill-equipped for the task of steering the ships of their young nations, and therefore wasted their time in petty political bickering. Disillusionment set in. For the populace, the sky-scrapers of their dream began to fall to pieces before their very eyes. The military saw an opportunity of usurping power in this widespread confusion. In Nigeria, the democratic experiment was cut short barely five years after independence, thus ushering in an era of military dictatorship and despotism. Elsewhere in Africa, the story was much the same. Democratically elected leaders gradually gave way to despotic and dictatorial leaders who soon grew insensitive and turned themselves into scourges in their various nations. Greed and avarice soon led to the quest for self-succession and life presidency. Democratic values and principles became completely eroded; human rights were grossly abused; constitutions were consigned to the dustbin while arbitrary decrees were used to govern the people. Names like Idi Amin Dada of Uganda, Mobutu Sese Sekou of Congo, Samuel Doe of Liberia, and Arap Moi of Kenya, and currently Eyadema of Togo, Museveni of Uganda, Ghadaffi of Libya, Charles Taylor of Liberia, Mugabe of Zimbabwe, among several others, most of who transformed from military to civilian presidents, have come to be synonymous with repressive regimes. Human worth and dignity, equity, personal liberty, freedom and political rights, justice, all principles of democracy, have either been violated or absolutely non-existent. This trend has continued in many parts of Africa up until now. So, can we really talk about the future of democracy and good governance in Africa considering such awful records, when all we have had in Africa so far has been a travesty of democracy?
In Africa, apart from the few comparatively stable democracies like South Africa (after apartheid) and Mozambique, many are yet to experience a true democratic process, though the leaders profess it every passing day. And the democratic process continues to thrive on very shallow grounds. Its dividends are yet to be seen. Bad leadership has been the cog in the wheel of the growth and development of a true and stable democracy in Africa. What we have had have been pseudo-democracies, where democracy has come to mean the government of a select few, by the select few, and for the select few. Those in power always find reasons to alter clauses or whole pages in the constitution to suit their whims and caprices. And since good governance is a by-product of stable democracy, both have often eluded us. We have had worse than bad governance. There are wars, civil strife, high level of poverty, diseases, corruption in high places, and prostrate economies, all indicators of long years of misrule. Right now there is hardly any African nation that is not experiencing one leadership problem or the other. Look at Ivory Coast, Congo DR, Zimbabwe, Liberia and others, yet African leaders have refused to learn from history.
Judging from all these sad experiences, one is wont to say that the future of democracy and good governance in Africa looks bleak, after all there is a direct link between the past , present and future. Much of the past mistakes have been blamed on the military rulers who turned out to be no better than the civilian regimes they came to correct. Their long years of dominance so completely eroded the democratic consciousness of Africans and wreaked so much havoc on their minds that many young Africans born within the last twenty years are yet to experience life in a free democratic environment. To many of these, the concepts of democracy and good governance exist only in the world of textbooks, and practically unattainable. Good a thing that in the past few years, many African nations are regaining the long-lost democratic consciousness. They have come to realise that the worst democratic government could be better than its best alternative form. Where democratic rule has taken, or is still taking root, there has certainly been a change of attitude and orientation. Some current African leaders are beginning to look elsewhere for democratic models rather than the sit-tight models of African dictatorship. The journey though is far from begun, yet there appears a glimmer of hope at the end of the tunnel. All hope is not lost. The future might yet be remedied. Undoubtedly, the task ahead is a Herculean one, yet where there is a will, there will certainly be a way. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a step. This step many African states have taken. In South Africa, since the demise of apartheid, the democratic process has been relatively smooth. And the results are self-evident. South Africa has no doubt become the centre of political and economic stability in Africa. The democratic experiment in Nigeria in the last four years may have yielded more dividends than many cynics had expected. For one, there is once again freedom of speech and of the press, and people can now move about freely without fear of illegal arrest and detention. The current transition programme, though allegedly riddled with malpractices, is yet an improvement on what used to be obtainable, and may have put a final full stop to the incessant coups in Nigeria.
It is also commendable that African leaders have come together under the new African Union, in the pattern of the European Union, to chart a new course for Africa. However, pious pronouncements should be backed up with positive actions; else the efforts will end in futility. No doubt, what future role democracy and good governance will play in Africa will depend largely on what present African leaders make of the opportunities at their disposal in the present time, bearing in mind that the true democrat is defined by his practices, and not his professions.
It has been proved that democracy is the most widely acclaimed form of government the world over. As opposed to other forms, democratic forms of government have proved to be the surest safeguard of individual liberties; the principles and values of freedom, equality, public interest, and rights of individuals are best protected in a democratic setting. More importantly, democracy ushers in good governance. Whether or not one supports the arguments in favour of the so-called home-grown democracy in Africa, which scholars say must take cognisance of our lived realities, and structures and institutions which must reflect the peculiarities of our African environment to sustain itself, what is even more important is that Africa could well attain, if not exceed, the level already attained by the West, if only we have the will. After all said and done, let it be stated categorically that the ultimate establishment of an enduring democracy in Africa will truly usher in lasting peace and a final end to the unending fratricidal wars occasioned by incessant power tussles, as well as political stability, unity and oneness, equality and fairness, security of lives and property, protection of human rights, political, social and economic freedom, an era of economic prosperity and advancement, and an end to the endemic poverty, diseases and deaths which have beleaguered Africa for decades on end, and above all, ensure the continuity of the African continent.
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